New Hope wins by a landslide and elects three lawmakers

New Hope, led by incumbent lawmaker José Pereira Coutinho, was the big winner of yesterday’s Legislative Assembly (AL) election.

Voting for the eighth Legislative Assembly direct and indirect elections concluded at 9 p.m., last night with Seng Ioi Man, president of the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election (CAEAL), announcing preliminary results of 175,272 voters in the direct election, reflecting a turnout rate of 53.35%, while the indirect elections saw 6,645 votes cast at a turnout rate of 88.12%.

Initially claiming to fear losing all the seats, the group not only managed to re-elect Pereira Coutinho and Che Sai Wang (current lawmakers) but also elected a third representative, Chan Hao Weng, who ran as the second candidate, with Che listed third this time.

List number 2 collected a staggering 43,361 votes, 237.83% more than in the 2021 elections, which granted them three seats in the AL.

Although it is not clear what led to the dramatic result, it is likely that the list significantly benefited from two factors: first, the lack of competition in the less pro-Beijing camp due to the disqualification of pro-democracy groups, and second, the government’s push for higher participation in the elections, especially among civil servants.

As is well known, the New Hope group is deeply rooted in the Macau Civil Servants Association (ATFPM), having its highest number of voters in this particular group.

Speaking to the Times past midnight today, Coutinho said, “Without a doubt, [the win] is a resounding victory.”

“It’s a big win and a big responsibility. We treasure that. We hope to give back the trust that the Macau people have given us with our work and our efforts to solve the problems of the Macau citizens,” the elected lawmaker with the highest number of votes said.

“We believe that with the way that we have been working in the past, we will use this example to increase our work in the future, trying to be closer to all the citizens,” Coutinho added.

Back in 2021, his list won 18,232 votes, placing him third on the list. His votes this year have increased by nearly 140%.

He acknowledged that the result came as a surprise to many, including himself.

“We expected a good result, but […] to achieve this result, as a resident of Macau with a Portuguese name, is extremely satisfying,” he said.

Coutinho mentioned the role of the Portuguese and Macanese communities in supporting his list.
“The Macanese and Portuguese communities, in full support of the New Hope list, voted in large numbers. I want to thank the entire Portuguese and Macanese communities once again for this support,” he said.

Coutinho is serving his sixth term as a deputy, pledging that he is “committed” and “full of energy.”

“We will continue to fight for the rights of the Portuguese Macanese community and all other communities in Macau,” he said.

Meanwhile, top-voted in the previous elections, the Macau United Citizens Association (ACUM) came in second, with just 29,459 votes, fewer than 3,000 more than in 2021.

Still, the group retains the same two lawmakers, Song Pek Kei and Nick Lei, and adds a new face, Chan Lai Kei, replacing Si Ka Lon.

In reality, the group related to the interests of the Fujianese in Macau reinforces its presence in the AL since Si has also been elected, this time in the indirect elections, representing the Industrial, Commercial, and Finance sector.

The Union for Development (UPD), affiliated with the Macau Federation of Trade Unions, came out as the third most-voted group, collecting virtually the same number of votes as in the previous election.

List number 5 re-elected Ella Lei and Leong Sun Iok and also re-elected Lam Lon Wai in the indirect election for the labor sector.

The labor sector continues to be represented by four lawmakers despite the exit of Lei Chan U, now replaced by Leong Pou U from the new Union of Workers’ Associations.

List number 4, Macau-Guangdong Union, representing the interests of those originating from Jiangmen, came next with 21,745 votes, virtually the same as those obtained by the Union for Promoting Progress, representing the Neighborhood Associations of “Kai Fong.”

Both camps continue to elect two lawmakers despite the complete revamp of the Macau-Guangdong Union, which dropped lawmakers Lo Choi In and Zheng Anting, now presenting former lawmaker Lao Chi Ngai and newcomer Lee Koi Ian.
No changes have been made in the Union for Promoting Progress camp, with lawmakers Leong Hong Sai and Ngan Iek Hang retaining their seats.

Last in the voters’ preferences was the Alliance for a Happy Home, the group from the Women’s General Association of Macau led by lawmaker Wong Kit Cheng.

List number 6 gathered only about 18,751 votes, still enough to retain the two seats, including the re-election of Wong and the new entry of Loi I Weng, who replaces Ma Io Fong.

Rise in ‘blank’ and ‘null’ 

votes not a concern

for CAEAL

At the press conference announcing the preliminary results of the direct and indirect elections, the president of CAEAL, Seng Ioi Man, said that the CAEAL has no comments or concerns regarding the election turnout or the growing number of “blank” and “null” votes.

Questioned by the media on the topic, Seng said that the CAEAL is only concerned with the legality of the election procedures and that, in this case, “the election was held and concluded successfully.”

“In all data related to the election, there are always figures that grow or drop. There are many reasons for this, so we will not elaborate on this matter,” Seng said when asked to comment on the rise of blank and null votes.

According to official figures, the number of “blank” votes reached 5,987, while the number of “null” votes was 7,077.

In comparison, in 2021, the number of “blank” votes was just 3,141, while the “null” votes were 2,067. This means that, in total, the number of “blank” and “null” votes increased by 2.5 times this year.

Seng also added that the CAEAL had no expectations for the election turnout, but only in ensuring that the election would strictly follow the laws, particularly because this was the first election after the election law revision.