CAEL yet to receive nomination committee applications ahead of deadline

As of noon yesterday, no applications had been received by the Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEL) for the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections, according to chairman Seng Ioi Man.

Despite a June 6 deadline, prospective candidates have yet to submit their forms and nomination endorsements as required under Macau’s election law.

“There are now fewer than three weeks left until the deadline for submitting application forms. The CAEL urges those intending to form a nomination committee, who have already collected 300 signatures from supporting voters, to submit the form as soon as possible so that we can proceed with the necessary subsequent procedures,” he said.

The CAEL once again urged trustees to ensure that the information for voters on the nomination form is accurately completed before submission. It is also crucial to verify whether any voters have signed the nomination form more than once.

“In accordance with the amended election law, each voter may only sign one nomination form to support the formation of a single nomination committee. Should a voter sign multiple forms for different nomination committees, their signature will, unfortunately, be deemed invalid,” Seng emphasized.

The elections for the eighth term of the local Legislative Assembly (AL) are scheduled for September 14 and are currently in the stage of forming nomination committees.

Seng previously informed the media that a total of nine individuals had collected their applications in person at the Public Administration Building on or before March 18.

According to the amended AL election law, the nomination committee for direct elections must consist of at least 300 and no more than 500 voters, while the nomination committee for indirect elections must include at least 20% of the legal entities within the relevant electoral group.

Once the CAEL confirms that the nomination committee is legally established, it may submit the list of candidates and political platforms. The deadline for submission is set for June 26.

The CAEL will announce its decision on the verification of candidate lists by July 15 at the latest. If there are no objections, a draw will be held on July 19 at the earliest to determine the order of candidates on the ballot papers, according to Seng.

“In accordance with the election law, the CAEL will promptly verify the legality of the nomination committees upon receiving their applications. If the application forms do not meet legal requirements or contain defects, the CAEL will notify the trustee by June 8, requesting supplementary materials within five days. Failure to do so will result in the refusal to certify the legality of the nomination committee.”

The CAEL will make a decision on the committee’s legality by June 15 at the latest and notify the relevant trustees on June 16. If the decision to refuse certification is made, the trustees may appeal to the Court of Final Appeal on June 17.

The court must render a final judgment within five days. Regarding the submission of candidate lists, only a nomination committee confirmed as legally valid may submit candidate lists and election manifestos to the CAEL,” Seng said, citing the election law.

He reaffirmed that candidates must uphold the Basic Law and remain loyal to the Macau Special Administrative Region, with the Committee for Safeguarding National Security making final determinations. Those deemed ineligible shall not have the right to raise objections or seek judicial review.

Reportedly, Wong Wai Man, president of the Macau Bar Benders Association, revealed to All About Macau earlier this year his intention to run again in this year’s Legislative Assembly direct elections. In a report dated March 29, he stated that he had already secured over 80 nominations from residents. Wong previously ran in the AL elections in 2017 and 2021, but in the 2021 direct election, he failed to secure enough nominations and was defeated.

Ron Lam also revealed in an earlier interview with the Times that he may run again in this year’s election. During the conversation, he expressed frustration at feeling unable to fully represent the voices of Macau residents at this time, but he also expressed gratitude for the support he has received in his decision to run again.