Parliament to prioritize electoral laws review in new session

The review of electoral laws will be placed “at a critical position,” President Kou Hoi In of the parliament has underlined.

The second session of the seventh term of the parliament will conclude on Oct. 15, and the body recently released its report on the closed session. No press conference was held for this purpose, unlike Kou’s predecessors.

In the report, the president noted that “the Legislative Assembly has been safeguarding the constitutional foundation of the Special Administrative Region and ensuring the effective operation of Executive Dominance. Adhering to the tradition of loving the country and loving Macau, the Assembly will firmly steer its work in the right direction. It will continuously support, cooperate with, and supervise the government’s administration in accordance with the law, as well as the government’s effective use of the powers conferred by the Basic Law.”

Discussing the parliament’s agenda for the coming session, Kou emphasized that the review of the electoral laws for the Chief Executive and the parliament will be prioritized “to ensure the power of governance is firmly in the hands of patriots.”

In consideration of the legislative procedures required and the imminent selection of the Chief Executive, Kou said that, “the parliament will communicate effectively with the government to foster sincere cooperation, unity, and ensure the quality and efficient conclusion of the legislation under review.”

The government has announced that under the proposed tightening of the Electoral Law, a vetting process will be conducted to ensure all candidates have no background demonstrating an ‘unpatriotic’ mentality or history of such activities. Such decisions are not subject to judicial appeal.

Matters of national security, civil aviation, and gambling will also be crucial in the new session.

Reviewing the current session, the seven lawmakers appointed by the Chief Executive have not submitted written or oral inquiries. AL