VI
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CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
26.
*
Some important decisions were taken about Hong Kong's future political development in the course of the year. When the Joint Declaration was signed in 1984 there was no
elected element of any kind in the legislature. Indirec
elections to functional constituencies were introduced in
1985. Then on 16 February 1990 the Foreign and Commonwealth
Secretary announced the Government's intention to introduce
18 directly elected seats in the legislature in 1991 and at least 20 in 1995. This was a substantially greater step towards full democracy in Hong Kong than had been envisaged in the 1988 White Paper. The detailed arrangements for the
1991 elections were announced on 21 March 1990. The number
of functional constituency seats will be increased from 14
to 21; the number of officials will be reduced from 10 to 3; and the number of appointed members will decrease from 20 to 1819.
This means that the Legislative Council to be elected
in September 1991 will for the first time in its history have an elected majority.
27. The Government and the Hong Kong Government attach
great importance to making a success of these elections.
The Legislative Council which convenes in October 1991 will provide a basis from which Hong Kong's democratic system
can develop further.
VII
HUMAN RIGHTS
28.
The people of Hong Kong have been assured of their
basic human rights through the application of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
and International Covenent on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR) to Hong Kong since 1976. At present the Covenants are implemented in Hong Kong, as in the United Kingdom, through a combination of common law, legislation and administrative rules. The continued application of the
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