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6.
THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED
·
VOTERS HAS INCREASED FROM 1.42 MILLION
IN 1985 TO 1.6 MILLION FOR THE COMING ELECTIONS. SUBTRACTING THOSE
CONSTITUENCIES WHICH ARE UNCONTESTED, 1 4 MILLION ELECTORS WILL BE
ELIGIBLE TO CAST VOTES ON 10 MARCH (COMPARED WITH 1.27 MILLION IN
1985).
MEDIA REACTION:
MOST NEWSPAPERS GAVE PROMINENT COVERAGE TO THE RESULTS OF THE
NOMINATIONS FOR THE DISTRICT BOARDS ELECTIONS. AT LEAST SIX CHINESE
DAILIES AND ONE ENGLISH PAPER GAVE IT FRONT-PAGE LEAD TREATMENT.
T
४.
MOST PAPERS NOTED THAT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CANDIDATES WAS
SLIGHTLY LESS THAN IN 1985 DESPITE AN INCREASE OF ELECTED SEATS THIS
YEAR. THE SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION WAS QUOTED AS
SAYING THAT THE SLIGHTLY FEWER NUMBER OF CANDIDATES DID NOT
NECESSARILY INDICATE THAT THERE WAS LESSENING INTEREST IN THE
ELECTIONS AND THAT THE DIFFERENCE MIGHT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE
NUMBER OF UNCONTESTED SEATS.
9.
·
THE PAPERS ALSO REPORTED THAT 139 CANDIDATES WERE SUPPORTED BY
A NUMBER OF POLITICAL GROUPS, INCLUDING THE HONG KONG AFFAIRS SOCIETY, MEETING POINT, HONG KONG ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRACY AND
PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD, REFORM CLUB AND CIVIC ASSOCIATION. ONE ENGLISH NEWSPAPER ALSO REPORTED THAT 50 CANDIDATES WERE AFFILIATED TO PRO-
CHINA ORGANIZATIONS.
10.
·
THE PRO-CHINA NEWSPAPERS GAVE FAVOURABLE COMMENTS TO THE
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SCHEME ON THE CLOSE OF THE CANDIDATE
NOMINATION PERIOD TA KUNG PO CALLED ON THE CANDIDATES TO AVOID
CONFRONTATION WITH EACH OTHER DURING POLLING DAY. IT ALSO HOPED
THE CANDIDATES WOULD SERVE THE COMMUNITY WITH GENUINE ENTHUSIASM.
WEN WEI PO WISHED THAT MORE CAPABLE MEMBERS WOULD BE ELECTED TO
THE NEXT TERM OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS.
11.
A NUMBER OF OTHER CHINESE NEWSPAPERS COMMENTED THAT THE
QUALITY OF CANDIDATES THIS YEAR WAS BETTER THAN BEFORE AND HOPED
THAT THE CANDIDATES WOULD ALL BE WILLING TO DEVOTE THEIR TIME AND
EFFORTS TO GENUINELY SERVE THE PUBLIC RATHER THAN USING THE
ELECTIONS AS A MEANS TO PUBLICIZE THEMSELVES. ONE CHINESE NEWS- PAPER'S EDITORIAL COMMENTED THAT GIVEN THE POLITICAL APATHY OF THE HONG KONG PUBLIC, THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES NOMINATED, THOUGH SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN THAT IN THE LAST ELECTIONS, SHOULD BE REGARDED
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