Elections 2021 | Alleged paid election ad under investigation

Nelson Kot Man Kam, the first candidate on List 12 – Powers of Political Thought, was found to be connected to a paid election advertisement on a social media platform. The case has been passed to the police for investigation.
Local media outlet Macau Concealers posted an image depicting Kot promoting himself as an election candidate on Facebook. Above the image was the word “sponsored,” which the social media platform uses to distinguish between paid advertisements from unpaid content.
The Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) issued a statement yesterday to remind candidates that paid promotions, election advertisements and/or campaigns are forbidden by the Legislative Assembly Election Law.
“From the date of issuance of the Executive Order announcing the election date, the direct or indirect use of commercial advertising to campaign on social communication media [platforms] or other media is prohibited,” the CAEAL reiterated in the statement.
However, when interviewed by the local news outlet, the election candidate criticized the CAEAL for not being clear on the relevant guidelines.
In fact, the CAEAL had made announcements and reiterated the prohibition of paid campaign advertisements.
In response, Kot questioned the definition of “commercial advertisement”. He then criticized the CAEAL’s unclear guidelines.
In another event, the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) said it had “nothing to add” to the statement from the CAEAL regarding allegations of gifts given away during the election campaign by List 1 – Macau-Guangdong Union.
The Jiangmen Communal Society, the affiliated body of the list, held several events to assist with candidates’ campaign efforts. At the end of the events, gift packs were distributed to participants.
In response to media enquiries, the CCAC noted that the event was a pre-declared session and reminded all candidates to not distribute food at campaign events “so as to comply with Covid-19 control guidelines,” but made no reference to potential corruption. AL