Electoral commission to undergo overhaul, reports say

The Chief Executive’s Electoral Commission is set to undergo a significant overhaul, with several members of the electoral college stepping down, according to a report by TDM.

According to sources contacted by the state-media, a number of individuals from both the Portuguese and Chinese communities, aged over 75, will be substituted by younger individuals.

Likewise, changes are expected for individuals such as Jorge Neto Valente, Anabela Ritchie, Jorge Fão, and Edith Silva, as well as Ma Iao Hang, Lau Cheok Va, Paula Ling and David Chow from the Chinese community.

Meanwhile, a total of 348 permanent residents have registered to run in next month’s Chief Executive Election Committee members selection.

The Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) is elected every five years. The person who serves as the city’s top official is chosen by a 400-member committee called the Chief Executive Election Committee.

If all 348 registered candidates are accepted, the number of candidates will exceed the number of available seats by four. The final list of accepted candidates will be announced next Friday.

Current Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng’s first five-year term leading the Macau government will end Dec. 19. A 67-year-old, Ho has not yet announced whether he plans to run for a second five-year term as chief executive.

According to Macau’s Basic Law, the Chief Executive can only serve a maximum of two five-year terms in a row. The election to choose members of the committee that will select the next chief executive will take place on Aug. 11.

The educational and labor sectors are the only ones where the number of registered candidates exceeds the number of available seats. 31 candidates registered for the 29 educational seats, while 61 registered for the 59 labor seats.

In the 2019 Chief Executive Election Committee election, there were 350 candidates competing for the 344 available seats. The educational and labor sectors were also the only ones with more candidates than seats.

Staff Reporter