Sam Hou Fai’s election was upheld by the Court of Final Appeal. Hou Fai will be the leader of Macau for the next five years, after receiving 394 votes in favor out of a possible 400.
The Court of Last Instance (TUI) ratified the election of Sam Hou Fai as the new head of the Executive of Macau, published this Monday in the Official Gazette of the territory.
The TUI recognized the result and proclaimed Sam Hou Fai “elected candidate”, after no contentious appeal had been presented, after the legal deadline had elapsed, according to the proclamation now published.
Subsequently, the former TUI president will be formally appointed by the Chinese central government as the next leader of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) for a five-year term.
Sam Hou Fai, who needed the support of at least half of the 400 members of the electoral college, received, on October 13, 394 votesfour blank votes were still recorded. Two members did not vote.
Candidate Sam Hou Fai “definitely admitted” to the elections for Macau leader
The members of the Chief Executive Electoral Commission (CECE) come from the four sectors of society, as defined by the Basic Law of Macau: industrial, commercial and financial; cultural, educational, professional; work, social services and religion and politics.
The 400 members, including at least 18 Portuguese and Macanese, were elected on August 11 by 576 legal entity voters (associations and organizations), that is, more than 6,200 voters in a territory with 687,000 inhabitants.
The term of the current Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, ends on December 19, and the new leader is scheduled to take office on December 20, the day on which the 25th anniversary of the constitution of the SAR is commemorated. Macau, after the transfer of administration from Portugal to China.
Source: Observadora
