The Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) yesterday announced its final confirmed list of polling venues for the upcoming direct and indirect legislative elections, according to which there will be 37 polling venues, where 38 polling stations for the direct election and five polling stations for the indirect election will be set up.
The number of polling booths has been increased by 80 to 770 this time, the commission announced.
The list was published on the dedicated website of the direct and indirect legislative elections yesterday.
The 2025 direct and indirect legislative elections will take place on September 14. The 37 polling venues will be open between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., unchanged from four years ago. This time, there are 333,391 registered direct election voters, up by 2.5 percent from the previous election.
Speaking to reporters after chairing a regular closed-door meeting of the commission at the Public Administration Building on Rua do Campo yesterday, CAEAL President Seng Ioi Man noted that this year’s direct and indirect legislative elections will have one more polling venue compared to the 36 in the previous elections in 2021.
Seng also noted that unlike four years ago when there was only one polling venue for the indirect election, this time there will be two, namely the Macao Polytechnic University’s (MPU) Sports Stadium in Zape, the sole polling venue for the 2021 indirect election, and the new polling venue at Kao Yip Middle School in Nape.
The legislature’s 12 indirectly-elected seats comprise four seats representing the city’s business sector, three seats from the professional sector, two seats from the labour sector, two seats from the cultural and sports sector, and one seat from the social services and educational sector.
In the 2021 indirect election, all five polling stations, for each of the indirect election’s five sectors respectively, were set up at the MPU Sports Stadium.
Seng said yesterday that this time three of the indirect election’s five polling stations will be set up at the MPU Sports Stadium as usual, while the other two will be relocated to the new polling venue of Kao Yip Middle School.
In the 2021 elections, the 36 polling venues comprised 35 only used for the direct election and the MPU Sports Stadium used for both the direct and indirect elections. The 36 polling venues comprised 37 polling stations in total for the direct election as two polling stations were set up at the polling venue of the Olympic Sports Centre’s Indoor Pavilion in Taipa.
For the 2025 direct and indirect elections, according to the list published yesterday, the 37 polling venues will comprise 35 only used for the direct election as well as the MPU Sports Stadium and Kao Yip Middle School used for both the direct and indirect elections. The 37 polling venues will comprise 38 polling stations in total for the direct election as two polling stations will, as usual, be set up at the polling venue of the Olympic Sports Centre’s Indoor Pavilion in Taipa.
According to the list published yesterday, polling stations for the upcoming indirect election’s business sector, labour sector, and social services and educational sector will be set up at the MPU Sports Stadium as usual, while polling stations for the professional sector and the cultural and sports sector will be relocated to the new polling venue of Kao Yip Middle School.
Seng said yesterday that the commission’s decision to set up two polling venues for the upcoming indirect election aims to shorten the length of time that indirect-election voters will have to queue.
Seng also pointed out that the setting-up of a polling station used for the direct election at both the MPU Sports Stadium and Kao Yip Middle School will enable indirect-election voters to also vote for the direct election at the same locations.
As usual, the polling venues for the upcoming direct election will include one at the prison in Coloane for eligible inmates to cast their ballots.
Moreover, Seng also announced that the commission has designated Mong Ha Sports Centre as the venue to be used for a backup polling venue, for both the direct and indirect elections, the operation of which will be activated in case of emergency or any other unforeseeable incident.
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
