Sam Hou Fai resigns from top judge post ahead of elections

Sam Hou Fai, the judge and president of the Court of Final Appeal (TUI), has been exonerated from his posts by the Chief Executive (CE) at his request, according to an executive order published yesterday in the government’s official gazette.

The CE order, effective from Wednesday (Aug. 28), said Sam will be exonerated from his positions as president of the TUI and as a member of the independent commission responsible for nominating candidates for judicial positions.

It is believed this move is linked to earlier statements by Sam, indicating he is considering running for the position of Macau’s next Chief Executive.

According to election rules, candidates for this position must step down from any roles of political or governmental influence before officially declaring their candidacy.

Sam’s exoneration aligns with the nomination period for candidates to run for the election of the sixth term of CE of Macau Special Administrative Region, which runs from Aug. 29 to Sept. 12.

Speculation around Sam’s potential candidacy has grown since the current CE, Ho Iat Seng, announced last week that he would not seek re-election due to health issues.

In a statement to the media mid last week, Ho finally broke the silence over the matter, clarifying that his health “has not been fully restored” and expressing gratitude for the support he has received throughout his term.

“I have profound feelings for Macau and have done my utmost for Macau’s development, but since my health has not been fully restored, for the sake of Macau’s long-term development, I have decided not to participate in the election for the sixth-term Chief Executive,” he said.

According to the Chief Executive Election Law, high-ranking officials or judicial officers must resign or retire before the nomination period begins; otherwise, they cannot be nominated as candidates.

The election of the new CE is on Oct. 13 when a collegial committee of 400 people will vote to elect one candidate.

Since the first CE election in May 1999, when Edmund Ho was elected as the first-ever CE after defeating Stanley Au with around 83% of votes, all other election terms candidates have run uncontested.

Ho Iat Seng was the only one of three CEs so far who has not served two consecutive terms.