Jorge Chiang, the president of the Macau Lotus Chamber of Commerce and the Macau Society of Institutional Studies, has announced his intention to run for Macau’s Chief Executive (CE) election. Chiang, a prominent businessman, is one of the first individuals to publicly express interest in becoming Macau’s leader.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Chiang pledged to establish a responsible and clean government, governed by the rule of law, with people as the priority. Chiang’s declaration of candidacy, published in simplified Chinese, emphasized the need for Macau to adapt to the challenges of the century. He said, “Faced with the challenges of a century of major changes, Macau’s old management methods are no longer suitable for the development of the times, and have even become an obstacle to future development.”
Chiang’s political platform includes upholding integrity and innovation, building shared prosperity, and creating a new future for Macau. However, he faces an uphill battle in securing enough nominations from the 400-member Election Committee to officially become a candidate. All CE elections since 2004 have had only one candidate, with the incumbent CEs in 2004, 2009, and 2014 running uncontested.
The current CE, Ho Iat Seng, has not yet publicly announced his intention to run for a second term, although reports suggest he will declare his candidacy in mid-August after polls for the CE Election Committee close on August 11.
The only CE election in Macau’s history with more than one candidate was the inaugural poll in 1999, when Edmund Ho defeated Stanley Au with 82% of the votes. Nadia shaw
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