TNAG-1719-FCO40-2399-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1988 — Page 115

1607

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1070

OF 120612Z MARCH 88

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB 1

INFO PRIORITY HKGOS WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, BRUSSELS,

005756

MDHIAN 1843

TOP COPY

O DIST ?

GENEVA

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, UKMIS GENEVA INFO SAVING SAN FRANCISCO

CORRECTED VERSION

DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS HELD ON 10 MARCH 1988

SUMMARY

1. ELECTIONS TO THE NEXT TERM OF THE 19 DISTRICT BOARDS (1988-91) WERE CONDUCTED ON 10 MARCH 1988. 264 CANDIDATES WERE ELECTED

INCLUDING 34 RETURNED UNOPPOSED.

DETAIL:

VOTER TURNOUT:

2 1,610,998 VOTERS WERE REGISTERED FOR THE ELECTIONS. OF THESE, 209,308 WERE NOT REQUIRED TO VOTE AS 34 CANDIDATES IN 21 CONSTITUENCIES WERE RETURNED UNOPPOSED, LEAVING 230 SEATS TO BE DECIDED BY THE REMAINING 1,401,690 VOTERS. OF THESE, 424,444 (30.3 PERCENT) TURNED OUT TO VOTE, COMPARED WITH 476,530 (37.5 PERCENT) IN 1985.

3. IN TERMS OF ABSOLUTE NUMBER, THE VOTER TURNOUT THIS TIME HAS DROPPED BY 52,086 COMPARED WITH 1985. THE DROP COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO A COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING POSSIBLE FACTORS :

(A) MORE SEATS ARE UNCONTESTED (34 THIS TIME COMPARED WITH 24 IN

1985):

(B) REARRANGEMENT OF SOME CONSTITUENCIES:

(C) SHIFT OF POPULATION: AND

(D) LESS OVERALL RATIO OF NUMBER OF CANDIDATES TO ELECTED SEATS.

NEVERTHELESS THE VOTER TURNOUT RATE OF 30 PER CENT IS A RESPECTABLE FIGURE FOR DISTRICT ELECTIONS. IT IS ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT IN FOUR DISTRICTS (SOUTHERN, WONG TAI SIN, NORTH, TAI PO) THE NUMBER OF VOTER WHO VOTED THIS TIME WAS HIGHER THAN THAT IN 1985.

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4. KWUN TONG HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF VOTER TURNOUT (44,824),

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