TNAG-2713-FCO40-3919-Parliamentary-relations-draft-White-Paper-on-Representative--1993 — Page 62

65. The voting method proposed by the Chinese side is self-evidently restrictive and cumbersome.

66.

Following the Foreign Secretary's meeting with the Chinese

Foreign Minister in July 1993, the British side introduced in

Round 8 of the talks a revised proposal on the Election

Committee. In a major move towards the Chinese position, this

accepted that the Election Committee should be composed of four

sectors on the lines set out in Annex 1 of the Basic Law. The

first three sectors would be elected by grouping the 30

Functional Constituencies into three groups of ten. Electors in

each Functional Constituency would then elect a specified number

of members to the Election Committee, as well as a Functional

Constituency representative to the Legislative Council. On the fourth sector, the British side proposed that it should be

returned by members of the District Boards, the Municipal

Councils and the Heung Yee Kuk. They made clear that for the

reasons noted above, it would not be appropriate for members of

the 1991 Legislative Council, or Hong Kong Deputies to the NPC

and representatives of the CPPCC to serve on the Election Committee simply by virtue of their membership of these bodies.

During Round 14, in another effort to narrow the gap, the

British side confirmed that NPC and CPPCC representatives would

be free to stand for election to the Election Committee; and accepted the Chinese proposal that the size of the 1995 Election

Committee should be about 600, as part of an overall package

deal.

67. On voting method, the British side proposed that the

Functional Constituencies would elect the first three sectors by

the block-vote method, ie each Functional Constituency elector

would have as many votes as the number of members to be returned

by that Functional Constituency. Elections within the Election Committee would use the single transferable vote method. Any

statement26.8/BRIEFS/NJK

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