The Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) said yesterday that it will increase the spacing between candidacy lists on the ballot papers for the upcoming direct and indirect legislative elections, compared to the ballot papers for the elections four years ago, with the aim of making it easier for voters to ensure that they correctly indicate their choice on the ballots.
The 2025 direct and indirect legislative elections will take place on September 14.
CAEAL President Seng Ioi Man made the remarks while speaking to reporters after chairing a regular closed-door meeting of the commission at the Public Administration Building on Rua do Campo.
There will be a total of 84 candidates fielded by eight electoral lists vying for the 14 directly-elected seats at stake, while a total of 14 candidates fielded by six indirect election lists will vie for the 12 seats at stake – if their respective qualifications are all finally confirmed by the commission.
Seng said yesterday that the commission will further improve the design of the ballot papers for the 2025 direct and indirect elections, with the aim of further reducing the number of invalid ballots by making it easier for voters to be able to clearly indicate their choice on the ballot papers.
Seng noted that the candidacy lists for the direct election are printed on the ballot papers from the top to the bottom based on their numerical order to be determined by a draw, which will be held the day after the commission announces its final list of accepted candidates.
Seng pointed out that the tick boxes for each candidacy lists have been printed in blue on the ballot papers since the 2017 direct and indirect elections with the aim of making them more visible, adding that the tick boxes on the ballots for the upcoming elections will also be printed in blue.
Seng said that with the aim of making it easier for voters to be able to clearly and correctly indicate their choice on the ballot papers, the commission has decided to further increase the spacing between candidacy lists on the ballot papers for the 2025 direct and indirect elections, compared to the ballot papers for the 2021 elections.
Seng also reminded the public that voters can only use the polling stamps provided in the polling booths to indicate their choice on the ballots as otherwise the ballots will be deemed invalid.
Seng also noted that a Braille option will be provided as usual at polling stations in the upcoming elections in order to enable visually-impaired voters to correctly indicate their choice on the ballot papers.
Meanwhile, Seng also noted that after posting the preliminary lists of candidates on the ground floor of the Public Administration Building on Rua do Campo on Saturday, the commission has now started assessing the qualifications of the candidates, including verifying the genuineness and validity of the documents submitted by the candidacy lists and their respective eligibility for standing in the upcoming elections.
Seng said that the commission has also passed the candidates’ personal information to the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) Committee for Safeguarding National Security, which will now assess whether the candidates uphold the MSAR Basic Law and bear allegiance to the MSAR.
After the vetting process, Seng noted, the commission will announce its list of accepted candidates by July 15, adding that if no objections to the commission’s decision are lodged, the commission will announce its final list of accepted candidates by July 18, while if appeals are lodged to the Court of Final Appeal (TUI) against the commission’s decision, the commission will announce the final list by July 31 following the court’s ruling, based on the respective regulations concerning the electoral process.
However, Seng pointed out that according to the Legislative Assembly Election Law, no objections to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security’s appraisal can be lodged, while no appeals to the Court of Final Appeal against the committee’s appraisal can be lodged either.
More specifically, Seng noted that if his commission decides to disqualify a legislative election candidate after the Committee for Safeguarding National Security has concluded that he or she does not uphold the MSAR Basic Law or has been disloyal to the MSAR, the respective candidate cannot lodge an objection to the commission’s decision or lodge an appeal to the Court of Final Appeal against his commission’s decision.
Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) President Seng Ioi Man (3rd from right) addresses yesterday’s press briefing at the Public Administration Building, flanked by fellow commission members (from left to right) Louie Wong Lok I, Mak Kim Meng, Lai U Hou, Ng Wai Han, and Daisy Ho In Mui. – Photo: GCS
This screenshot of a demonstrative video produced and uploaded by the Government Information Bureau onto YouTube in 2021 shows the sample of a ballot paper for the 2021 direct legislative election.
