Two more electoral lists have submitted their lists of candidates and political platforms to the Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) for the upcoming direct legislative election.
The two lists are Platform for Youngsters and Macau Basic Law Promotion Alliance. Both will run in the direct election for the first time.
The direct and indirect legislative elections will take place on September 12. Each direct election list must have at least four and no more than 14 candidates.
A total of 19 electoral lists will run in the upcoming direct election. Four years ago, 25 candidacy lists vied for the 14 seats at stake. In 2017, one of the lists quit the race before polling day.
For each of the five indirect election sectors, only one electoral list will take part in the upcoming indirect legislative election, meaning that all candidates are slated to be elected uncontested.
The 33-member Legislative Assembly (AL) comprises 14 deputies directly elected by universal suffrage, 12 deputies indirectly elected by association representatives and seven deputies appointed by the chief executive after the direct and indirect elections. Macau’s legislative elections are held in line with the proportional representation system.
The legislature’s 12 indirectly-elected seats comprise four seats representing the city’s industrial, commercial and financial 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.
The Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission pointed out in a statement yesterday that all 19 direct election lists and five indirect election lists had submitted their respective lists of candidates and political platforms by yesterday, the deadline for the submission of lists of candidates and political platforms for the direct and indirect elections.
For the upcoming direct election, the Platform for Youngsters list comprises six candidates, while the Macau Basic Law Promotion Alliance list consists of seven candidates.
The Platform for Youngsters list will be headed by Leong Wai Meng, a senior board member of the International Lusophone Markets Business Association, while the Macau Basic Law Promotion Alliance list will be headed by Zhou Xinzheng, the director of local newspaper Macau Legal Paper.
Leong and Zhou spoke to reporters separately after submitting their respective lists of candidates and political platforms at the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo yesterday.
Leong said that her electoral list would focus on issues such as young people’s employment and business startups and the operation of local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Macau’s integration into the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Leong said that while she and her fellow candidates are newcomers to the election, she believed that her list would be supported by residents due to her list’s commitment to serving civil society.
Zhou, a legal scholar, said that his electoral list would focus on promoting the contents and spirits of the Macau Basic Law to residents, increased efficiency in the public administration, and reforms on the operation of the Legislative Assembly (AL). He said that his list would also strive to contribute to the sound operation of Macau’s rule of law.
Zhou said that he has been highly interested in Macau’s laws since he moved to Macau from the mainland over 10 years ago. He said he discovered that laws in Macau seriously lag behind the city’s economic development, adding that that’s why he has decided to seek to become a lawmaker so as to contribute to the city’s legislation work.
Zhou said that many residents only know the existence of the Macau Basic Law but do not know its contents, adding that he wants to get residents to have a better understanding about the Macau Basic Law and make good use of it.
(From left to right) Leong Wai Meng and Zhou Xinzheng, the number-one candidates of electoral lists Platform for Youngsters and Macau Basic Law Promotion Alliance respectively, speak to reporters at the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo yesterday after their lists submitted their respective political platforms to the Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL). Photos: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
