While yesterday’s indirect legislative election of the 12 seats at stake were being run unopposed, two incumbent indirectly-elected lawmakers, Chan Hong and Vitor Cheung Lup Kwan, were replaced by incumbent directly-elected legislators Alan Ho Ion Sang and Angela Leong On Kei.
Yesterday’s indirect election was a fait accompli as there were only 12 candidates for the 12 seats at stake, which represent the city’s various societial sectors.
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 within 15 days after the direct and indirect elections.
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.
A total of 7,000 indirect-election voters cast their ballots, amounting to 87.33 percent of the total number of registered indirect-election voters this time.
The new term of the legislature will start on October 16.
For each of the five indirect-election sectors, only one candidacy list was running in yesterday’s indirect election, meaning that all the 12 candidates were elected unopposed.
The five lists which ran in yesterday’s indirect election were 1) the Union of Macau Business Interests (OMKC) for the industrial, commercial and financial sector, 2) the Joint Candidacy Committee of Employees Associations (CCCAE) for the labour sector, 3) the Union of Macau Professionals’ Interests (OMCY) for the professional sector, 4) the Social Service and Education Promotion Association (APSSE) for the social services and educational sector, and 5) the Rising Sun Cultural and Sports Union for the cultural and sports sector.
The Union of Macau Business Interests (OMKC) fielded incumbent lawmakers Kou Hoi In, José Chui Sai Peng, Ip Sio Kai and Wang Sai Man as its candidates for yesterday’s indirect election of the four seats in the industrial, commercial and financial sector.
Kou, the president of the outgoing legislature, is a local deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC). Kou is the president of the influential Macau Chamber of Commerce (ACM).
José Chui, a civil engineer by profession, is the cousin of former chief executive Fernando Chui Sai On, while Ip is the deputy director of the local branch of the Bank of China (BOC).
Wang, a textile manufacturer, is also is board member of the Macau Chamber of Commerce.
The Joint Candidacy Committee of Employees Associations fielded the same first- and second-ranked candidates as in the 2017 indirect election, trade unionists Lam Lon Wai and Lei Chan U. Both are senior board members of the influential Macau Federation of Trade Unions (commonly known as Gung Luen in Cantonese). Both first became indirectly-elected lawmakers four years ago.
Lam is one of the two vice principals of Lou Hau High School, which is run by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions.
The Union of Macau Professionals’ Interests (OMCY) fielded incumbent lawmakers Chui Sai Cheong, Vong Hin Fai and Chan Iek Lap as its candidates for yesterday’s indirect election of the professional sector’s three seats.
Chui, the vice-president of the outgoing legislature, is the elder brother of Chui Sai On, while Vong is a lawyer by profession. Chan is a paediatric doctor.
However, incumbent lawmaker Chan Hong representing the social services and educational sector, who was the candidate of the Social Service and Education Promotion Association (APSSE) list four years ago, did not seek re-election this time. Instead, this electoral list fielded incumbent directly-elected-lawmaker-cum-banker Alan Ho Ion Sang for yesterday’s indirect election of the sector’s only one seat.
Ho, who has been a directly-elected lawmaker since 2009, is a senior board member of the influential Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (commonly known as Kai Fong in Cantonese).
This time, the two candidates for the cultural and sports sector were restaurateur Andrew Chan Chak Mo and casino executive Angela Leong On Kei. While Chan is an incumbent indirectly-elected lawmaker, Leong has been a directly-elected legislator since 2005. Leong is replacing octogenarian Vitor Cheung Lup Kwan who is retiring from the hemicycle.
Photos: CAEAL
