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Regional Forum on Constitutional Development
(New Territories West)
(14 July 2004)
Group Discussion Summaries
Group 4: Mrs Anka Law
(Translation)
Method for Selecting the Chief Executive
The Number of Members of the Election Committee
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Many participants considered that an 800-member Election Committee was too small. One participant considered the size reasonable. A participant opined that the number should be increased to 1 000 in order to encompass more views.
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A participant supported an increase of 100 members in each sector, making the total number of Election Committee members to 1 200. There was also a view suggesting that the number of Election Committee members should be one-tenth of the Election Committee electorate.
The Composition of the Election Committee
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Some participants proposed to introduce, on top of the existing four sectors, a new sector to represent the general public, including women, students, ethnic minorities and representatives of district organizations. On the other hand, a participant found the existing four sectors adequate.
The Number of Members Required for Nominating Candidates
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Most participants considered that the present requirement of 100 subscribers for the nomination of a Chief Executive candidate reasonable and that no change was necessary. However, it was hoped that each Election Committee member should be allowed to nominate one candidate only.
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A participant supported setting the lower limit at 50, or 5% of the total number of Election Committee members, the upper limit at 150.
The Delineation and Size of the Electorate of the Election Committee
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A participant reckoned that the electorate of the Election Committee now constituted about 5% of all voters. He would like to double the size to 10%.
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A participant advocated increasing the representation for elderly and women.
Others
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A participant proposed to introduce certain academic qualification for the post of Chief Executive (e.g. university graduate). However, some disagreed.
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Another participant expressed satisfaction towards the current system. He also considered that the elections fair.
Method for Forming the Legislative Council
The Number of Seats in the Legislative Council
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The majority of participants supported an increase in the number of seats, but no specific figures were provided.
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A participant proposed that, instead of stipulating that the number of directly elected seats should be the same as that of functional constituency seats, the number of Legislative Council seats should be increased in proportion to the population. However, many participants supported maintaining the 1:1 ratio.
The Number of Seats Returned by Geographical Constituencies
The Number of Seats Returned by Functional Constituencies
The Delineation and Size of the Electorate of Legislative Council Functional Constituencies
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All participants supported the introduction of new functional constituencies for women and youth to make the functional constituencies more representative.
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A participant mentioned the need for clarifying the delineation of existing functional constituencies.
Provisions regarding Nationality of Legislative Council Members
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A participant opined that Legislative Council Members should not have foreign nationalities.
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Another participant agreed that only Chinese nationals be allowed to participate in direct elections, but some non-Chinese nationals should be allowed to serve in functional constituencies.
Others
Legislative Council Members
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It was proposed that directly-elected Legislative Council Members should be full-time legislators. They should not take up other duties, such as membership of District Councils or advisory boards, at the same time.
Electoral System
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It was proposed that the "single-seat, single-vote" system, instead of the existing proportional representation system, should be adopted in direct elections. Another participant supported maintaining the proportional representation system, but each voter may only have one vote and should not be allowed to have an extra vote in functional constituencies.
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