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The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:
The Electoral Affairs Commission today (June 26) released its provisional recommendations on the boundaries and names of the 431 proposed constituencies for the 2015 District Council Ordinary Election for public consultation.
"The consultation runs from today until July 25. Members of the public are invited to express their views. Views in agreement with the proposals or not are welcome," Commission Chairman Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah said.
"In delineating the proposed constituencies for the 2015 District Council Ordinary Election, the Commission has followed the statutory criteria and adopted a set of established existing working principles.
"To minimise any possible inconvenience to electors due to change of boundaries, it is the established practice of the Commission to maintain the boundaries of existing constituencies as long as the estimated population falls within the statutory permissible range," Mr Justice Fung said.
The population quota for the 2015 District Council Ordinary Election is 16,964 people per constituency. This is calculated by dividing the total projected population of Hong Kong in mid-2015, which is 7,311,300, by the 431 elected seats in the election.
"The law stipulates that the permissible range is 25 per cent deviation above or below this quota. As such, the population in a constituency will exceed the permissible range if it falls outside the range between 12,703 and 21,205 people," he said.
"For constituencies with the estimated population exceeding the permissible range, the Commission has proposed adjustments to their boundaries and, if required, those of the adjacent ones as well with a view to keeping their estimated population within the permissible limits as far as practicable," Mr Justice Fung said.
Separately, in accordance with the subsidiary legislation passed by the Legislative Council last year in respect of the number of elected seats for the fifth-term District Councils, the Commission has demarcated 19 new constituencies. Demarcation of these new constituencies would unavoidably require adjustment of the boundaries of some existing constituencies.
"In undertaking the boundary demarcation work, an important criterion is to keep the number of affected constituencies as small as possible," Mr Justice Fung added.
In summary, the Commission has adjusted the boundaries of 111 existing constituencies, which are fewer than the 122 constituencies whose boundaries were adjusted in 2011.
"Owing to the need to, among other things, preserve community identities and local ties, the Commission has proposed to allow the population to deviate from the permissible range in 21 constituencies, which are also fewer than the 26 constituencies proposed in 2011," he said.
"The Commission does not consider any political factors in the demarcation exercise," Mr Justice Fung emphasised.
Proposed names for the constituencies were formulated with reference to the major features, roads or residential settlements in the constituencies concerned, as well as the views of the relevant District Officers.
The Commission will submit its final recommendations to the Chief Executive after taking into account representations received during the consultation period.
Written representations on the proposed boundaries and names can be submitted by post to the Commission's Secretariat (10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai), by fax (2511 1682) or by email (eacenq@reo.gov.hk) by July 25, 2014. Late submissions will not be considered.
Individuals can also express their views at any one of the three public forums to be held by the Electoral Affairs Commission. The forums will be held from 7pm to 9pm on July 7, 9 and 11 at Quarry Bay Community Hall, 1 Greig Road, Quarry Bay; Lai Chi Kok Community Hall, 863 Lai Chi Kok Road, Sham Shui Po; and Lung Hang Estate Community Centre, Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin, respectively.
Members of the public can visit the Commission's website (www.eac.gov.hk), the Registration and Electoral Office, District Offices, post offices, management offices of public housing estates, and major and district public libraries to study the maps and descriptions of the proposed boundaries of individual constituencies. For enquiries, please call 2827 1269.
Ends/Thursday, June 26, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:17
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