Eight groups set for legislative direction poll; ‘Mutual Help Grassroots’ excluded

The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election (CAEAL) announced yesterday that the “Mutual Help Grassroots” direct election team, led by Wong Wai Man – who was allegedly arrested recently on suspicion of running an illegal mahjong parlor – has failed to qualify for the election, leaving only eight teams approved to participate in this year’s direct elections.

The Legislative Assembly (AL) direct and indirect elections are set for September 14, with the application deadline for confirming each team’s nomination committee being June 6.

This year, only nine teams submitted their nomination papers for the direct elections, while six did so for the indirect elections, resulting in a total of 15 applications.

Upon confirming the legal status of the nomination committees, Seng Ioi Man, the president of CAEAL, held a press briefing yesterday to announce the committees advancing in the election process and outline their requirements for submitting candidate lists and political platforms as part of the next steps in the election.

The teams running for directly elected seats include groups affiliated with current lawmakers, namely the “Union for Promoting Progress,” “Association of Synergy of Macao,” “Alliance for a Happy Home,” “New Hope,” “Union for Development,” “Macau-Guangdong Union,” and the “Macau Institution of People’s Alliance,” along with the newcomer, the “Macau People’s Livelihood Force.”

Additionally, all applications for the indirect elections were confirmed.

“The CAEAL recently decided whether to confirm or reject the legal existence of the nomination committees. Out of nine applications for direct elections, eight were confirmed as legally valid […] One application required remedial measures, but since these were not completed by the deadline, the CAEAL refused to confirm the nomination committee’s legal existence,” said Seng.

According to him, all trustees of the nomination committees have been notified of the relevant decisions. The confirmed nomination committees must submit their candidate lists and political platforms by next Thursday.

The results of the eligibility verification will be announced by July 15 at the latest, following a review of each potential candidate’s eligibility for election, including their support for the Basic Law and loyalty to the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

Seng explicitly identified the direct election nomination group whose legal existence was rejected as “Mutual Help Grassroots.” He stated that the group submitted over 300 nomination forms, but the majority were either not signed by eligible voters, contained duplicate nominations, or were signed by the same voter on other groups’ nominations.

“There were also cases where the signature style did not match the ID card, which is not acceptable under election law. Additionally, part of the group’s logo was deemed inconsistent with public order by the CAEAL. Based on these reasons, the committee notified the relevant trustees that they could make corrections within five days.

However, the corrections were not completed by the deadline, so the nomination committee’s confirmation application was not accepted,” he added.

In light of recent reports alleging that individuals have offered monetary benefits to induce others to sign nomination forms, the CAEAL emphasized that such criminal activities will not be tolerated under any circumstances, urging all members of society, particularly those intending to run for election seats, to work together to uphold election integrity and ensure that the Legislative Assembly elections are conducted in a lawful, fair, impartial, and clean environment. “No one should risk breaking the law by violating the provisions of the election law,” Seng stressed.

CAEAL declines hypothetical questions

At yesterday’s press briefing, several media outlets focused on the arrest of Wong Wai Man, a representative of the “Mutual Help Grassroots” group, who was allegedly arrested by police just a few days before the group was required to submit additional nominations for this year’s direct elections.

In response, Seng asserted that, due to the principle of judicial confidentiality, the names of the individuals involved in the case cannot be revealed. Essentially, he highlighted the separation between the ongoing investigation and the election process, stating that “it would be wrong to associate this specific case with any group that has applied for confirmation to participate in the nomination process for elections.”

Seng further reaffirmed the responsibility of the CAEAL to follow the rules outlined in the election law and to stick to the established timeline for all election-related activities.

Addressing media concerns about potential political interference by the police, Seng clarified that law enforcement and investigative entities are acting within their legal authority to investigate criminal matters. Citing the hypothetical nature of the question, he stated that the CAEAL will not comment on whether these investigations may impact the election.

Regarding specific cases, he added, “The deadline for submitting nominations to the CAEAL is June 6 […] If a group does not meet these criteria, the CAEAL will allow them a five-day period to make the necessary corrections to their submission.”