Electoral Affairs Commission to be set up by month’s end

In accordance with the law, the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election will be established by the end of this year, Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon told reporters yesterday.
Cheong said the government is now laying the groundwork for the seventh Legislative Assembly Election in 2021. The preparatory work, with regards to voter registration and the Commission, has gone well so far, Cheong added.
In light of the pandemic, authorities will also formulate a Covid-19 prevention plan for the election period, he said.
“It is hard to predict how the epidemic will go [next year] during the election period. We will zero in on both electoral endeavors and prevention measures against Covid-19,” he said.
The 2021 Legislative Assembly Election will be scheduled after the summer holiday and before October, Cheong said.
The Legislative Assembly Election law stipulates that the Commission, which comprises of a chairman and at least five other members, must be appointed by the Chief Executive a year before the election year. All members of the Commission are required to be permanent residents of Macau.
The quadrennial Legislative Assembly Election was last held on September 17, 2017.