CAEAL urges nomination committees to submit forms ahead of deadline

The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election (CAEAL) has called on those who wish to run in the Sept. 14 elections to submit their nomination committee forms before the end of this week.

In a press statement, the CAEAL reminded the public that June 6 is the deadline for submitting application forms for the endorsement of a nomination committee. They urged those intending to stand in the election to submit their application forms as soon as possible, and no later than June 6.

As regulations state, a nomination committee must include a minimum of 300 signatures from eligible voters, with each voter only allowed to subscribe to one nomination committee.

According to the Legislative Assembly Election Law and the election procedure calendar, the CAEAL will announce by June 8 (Sunday) whether any nomination committee application does not meet the required conditions and regulations.

Committee trustees will be notified and given five days to address any deficiencies; otherwise, the nomination committee will be rendered void.

After June 6, no supplementary members or replacements to already submitted nomination committee lists will be accepted – except for those asked by the CAEAL to correct deficiencies.

By June 15 at the latest, the CAEAL will decide whether to confirm or reject the legality of each nomination committee application and will notify the relevant trustees the next day.

Trustees may file an appeal with the Court of Final Appeal by June 17 if their application is rejected. The court will then issue a final ruling within five days.

In the next stage, candidate lists and their respective political platforms must be submitted by June 26.

Each candidate must sign a declaration to uphold the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region and pledge allegiance to the Macao SAR of the People’s Republic of China.

Trustees are also required to provide a deposit of MOP25,000 via bank transfer, cashier’s order or check.

In the latest update from the CAEAL, issued two weeks ago, only nine nomination committee forms had been submitted. In 2021, a total of 19 nomination committees were confirmed to be participating in the Legislative Assembly direct election.

The Times has learned that at least three additional nomination committee forms are expected to be submitted to the CAEAL today and in the coming days, and this number is likely to increase by the end of the week.