Process for AL election candidacy officially open

Tong Hio Fong (center)

The procedures that will allow candidates to formally submit candidacy lists to run for the Legislative Assembly (AL) election in September have officially commenced, announced president of the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election (CAEAL) Tong Hio Fong. Tong spoke at the opening of the clarification session on electoral procedures and electoral law for the AL, which was held on Tuesday at the Macao Science Center convention center.

Tong remarked, “from this moment and until June 20 all interested individuals need to form their nomination committees for the purpose of contesting directly-elected Legislative Assembly seats.”

On presentation of all required procedures, CAEAL member Chou Kam Chon announced that both the candidacy presentation and the political program must be delivered to CAEAL until July 10.

Chou also clarified that voters under 18 years of age are permitted to register to vote, provided they would be 18 on the election day, namely September 17.

The CAEAL also noted several other rules, such as those regarding votes of professional associations.

The assistant commissioner of the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC), Lam Chi Long, clarified which activities and procedures are permitted under the electoral law, and remarked on the essential differences between the current law and the previous law. He noted that under the current law, companies, associations and foundations “will now be subject to criminal responsibility.”

In addition, according to the CCAC, criminal acts committed abroad “will be treated as if they were committed in the MSAR.”

During the Q&A session that followed, lawmaker Pereira Coutinho remarked on some issues which he has said to have proposed to CAEAL in the past, including the votes of the residents who work in shifts (especially from Security Forces and Health Services) and the ability of voters to exercise their rights in any polling station.

In response, Tong commented that “for the time being it is not possible to allow voters to vote in any polling station,” and that for now, voters need to vote at the closest polling station to the address given for the registration.

As for workers performing their jobs in shifts, Tong mentioned that that “shouldn’t be a problem as they also need to have some free time that they can use to vote,” highlighting that the Commission already contacted the Security Forces  to remind them “to organize an adequate timetable to permit the officers to vote.”

Fairness appeal

Another topic addressed by Tong relates to the press coverage of the election campaign. “We appeal to the press to be fair. We aren’t going to interfere with their [the press] work and with the freedom of press,” he said. Tong also urged the public to continue to support the Electoral Affairs Commission’s work, in order to ensure the 2017 Legislative Assembly election is conducted in a fair and just manner, free of corruption.