Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) President Tong Hio Fong said yesterday that his commission has finally confirmed the validity of the candidacy of 19 electoral lists for the upcoming direct legislative election.
According to Tong, the candidacy validity of one direct election list has not been confirmed because it had failed to submit at least 300 valid nominations by registered voters as required by the law.
The officially required maximum is 500 signatures of registered voters while the minimum number is 300. Each registered voter can only endorse one candidacy list.
Tong made the remarks while speaking to reporters after chairing a regular closed-door meeting of the commission at the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo.
The direct and indirect legislative elections will take place on September 12.
The Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission told reporters last week that 22 lists had submitted registered voters’ signatures endorsing their respective candidacies in the upcoming direct election to the commission, which at that time had confirmed the validity of the candidacy of 16 of them. Two of the 22 groups have meanwhile withdrawn from taking part in the direct election.
The commission said last week that at that time it had not yet confirmed the candidacy validity of the other four lists due to certain faults, such as that the number of valid nominations was below the minimum of 300 required, or failing to indicate the lists’ names or logos in line with the official requirements. The four lists were then required to submit supplementary documents to rectify the faults.
Tong told reporters yesterday that during yesterday’s meeting his commission assessed the supplementary documents and other materials that had been submitted by the four lists whose candidacy validity had still not been verified. After assessing the submitted materials, Tong said, his commission concluded during the meeting that three of the four lists have submitted the materials in line with the official requirements.
According to Tong, the number of registered voters’ signatures that have been submitted by one of the four lists is still less than the minimum of 300 required. Consequently, Tong said, its candidacy validity could not be verified.
According to Tong, the 19 direct election lists whose candidacy validity has finally been confirmed are: 1) Macau Collective Energy (directly translated from its Portuguese name; however, its Chinese name means Macau Development Power), 2) Alliance for a Happy Home, 3) Progress Promotion Union, 4) Macau Victory, 5) Union for Development, 6) Democratic Prosperous Macau Association, 7) New Macau Progressives, 8) Macau-Guangdong Union, 9) Civic Watch, 10) Power of Synergy, 11) Gaming New Macau, 12) Power of Political Thought, 13) Macau United Citizens Association, 14) New Macau Progressive Association, 15) New Hope, 16) Dialogue Power, 17) Platform for Youngsters, 18) Ou Mun Kong I (“Macau Righteousness”), and 19) Macau Basic Law Promotion Alliance.
Concerning the first list, while its Portuguese name is literally translated as Macau Collective Energy, its Chinese name is literally translated as Macau Development Power. In a report last month, The Macau Post Daily identified this electoral list as Macau Development Power.
The 19 lists are vying for 14 directly-elected seats in the 33-member legislature.
Each direct election list must have at least four and no more than 14 candidates.
Kai Fong electoral group presents programme
Meanwhile, the Progress Promotion Union electoral list yesterday submitted its list of candidates and political platform to the Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) for the upcoming direct legislative election.
The Progress Promotion Union list ran in the legislature’s direct election four years ago, when its first-ranked candidate was elected – current lawmaker Alan Ho Ion Sang.
However, Ho will not run in the direct election this time.
For the upcoming direct election, the Progress Promotion Union electoral list comprises eight candidates. The list’s number-one candidate is Leong Hong Sai, a civil engineer by profession.
The list is the electoral group of the Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations, generally known as Kai Fong, its Cantonese name.
Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) President Tong Hio Fong (third from right) briefs reporters yesterday after a closed-door meeting of the commission at the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo, as fellow commission members Inês Chan Lou (first from left), Iong Kong Leong (second from left), José Maria da Fonseca Tavares (third from left), Lai U Hou (second from right) and Kou Peng Kuan look on. Photo: GCS
