reinstate them. But the Chinese side made plain in Round 16
they could not agree to abolition of appointed members on this
basis. The British side continues to believe that abolition of
appointed members in the District Boards and Municipal Councils
is an essential part of the gradual development of Hong Kong's electoral system, particularly as the Legislative Council will be composed entirely of elected members from 1995.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS (1995)
The "Through Train"
50. The British side proposed in Round one of the talks that the only necessary qualification for legislators elected in 1995 to continue in office until 1999 should be a pledge of
allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of
the PRC and a pledge to uphold the Basic Law. This would be exactly the same requirement as that set out in Article 104 of the Basic Law for Special Administrative Region Government
officials, Executive and Legislative Councillors and members of
the judiciary on taking office.
51. The Chinese side initially took the position that they
would only be willing to discuss criteria for the through train
when they were satisfied that the composition of the 1995
Legislative Council would conform to their interpretation of
the Basic Law. They also pointed out that according to the
Decision of the National People's Congress on the Method for
the formation of the First Government and the first Legislative
Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
(reproduced as Annex 2) it would be for the Preparatory
Committee to confirm members of the Legislative Council as
members of the first SAR Legislature.
52. In Round 13, the British side suggested a method for achieving early promulgation of objective criteria, consistent
statement 26.8/BRIEFS/NJH
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