Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 169 of the acts of 1881 is hereby amended by striking out section 4 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 4. All candidates for election to municipal office shall be nominated in accordance with the requirements of chapter 53 of the General Laws; provided, however, nomination papers of candidates for the office of ward councillor shall be signed in the aggregate by not less than 50 voters qualified to vote in said ward in the next municipal election; provided, further, nomination papers for candidates for mayor, school committee and councillor-at-large shall be signed in the aggregate by not less than 200 persons qualified to vote in the next municipal election.

SECTION 2. Section 2 of chapter 550 of the acts of 1955 is hereby repealed.

SECTION 3. This act shall be submitted to the voters of the city of Malden at the regular municipal election to be held in the year 1999 in the form of the following question which shall be placed on the official ballot to be used for the election of city officers at said election "Shall an act passed by the general court in the year 1998 entitled, 'An Act providing for an increase in the requirements for nomination as a candidate for elective office in the city of Malden', be accepted?"

If a majority of the votes cast in answer to said question is in the affirmative, this act shall take effect, but not otherwise.