Backgrounder
The chief executive election, held once every five years, is a significant event for the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR). The just concluded election yesterday saw Sam Hou Fai elected by an overwhelming majority as the MSAR’s sixth-term chief executive.
In 1999, when Macau returned to the motherland, the first chief executive was elected by a selection committee composed of permanent residents of Macau, opening a new chapter in the history of “Macau people administering Macau.”
According to the Basic Law of the MSAR and its Annex I, the chief executive is elected by a broadly representative Chief Executive Election Committee and appointed by the Central People’s Government. In accordance with the law, the Legislative Assembly of the MSAR passed the Chief Executive Election Law in 2004, which stipulated that the election committee shall be composed of 300 members, and any eligible candidate must obtain nominations from at least 50 election committee members.
Under such a legal framework, the MSAR elected its second and third chief executives in August 2004 and July 2009, respectively.
To balance the interests of various sectors in Macau, maintain the stability of Macau’s basic political system, and improve its governance, in February 2012, the then-chief executive of the MSAR, Fernando Chui Sai On, submitted a proposed amendment to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) regarding the method for the selection of the chief executive of the MSAR as specified in Annex I of the MSAR Basic Law and the method for the formation of the Legislative Assembly as specified in Annex II.
The proposed amendments were approved by the Standing Committee of the NPC in June of that year.
Subsequently, the MSAR also amended the Chief Executive Election Law, increasing the number of members in the Chief Executive Election Committee to 400 from 300, while raising the minimum number of nominations required for chief executive candidates to 66 from 50.
On December 14, 2023, the Legislative Assembly of the MSAR held a plenary meeting, during which the amendment to the Chief Executive Election Law was approved in detail. Further implementing the principle of “patriots administering Macau” was a key aspect of this amendment.
The revised Chief Executive Election Law added qualifications for nominees in the chief executive election and candidates for the Chief Executive Election Committee, requiring them to uphold the Basic Law of the MSAR and to pledge allegiance to the MSAR. The review of these qualifications is to be conducted by the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR.
– Xinhua, MPD
