The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing yesterday passed a decision to approve a request by Macau Legislative Assembly (AL) President Ho Iat Seng to resign from the nation’s top legislature, according to a statement published on the official NPC website.
The decision clears the way for Ho’s bid for chief executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR)
The statement did not mention Ho’s reason for having tendered his resignation.
Yesterday’s approval of Ho’s resignation came after he announced last week that he had decided to run in the chief executive election later this year.
The election is slated to take place in August.
Ho was first elected as an NPC Standing Committee member in the fourth session of the 9th NPC in 2001. He had been an NPC Standing Committee member ever since – the only one from Macau – until yesterday.
Entrepreneur
Ho, an entrepreneur and indirectly-elected lawmaker representing the city’s business sector, made the announcement of his decision to run for the city’s top job during a press briefing last Thursday.
According to the Chief Executive Election Law, any member of the 400-member Chief Executive Election Committee – of which the 12 local NPC deputies are ex-officio members – is barred from running for the post of chief executive.
During last week’s press briefing, Ho said that he had therefore tendered his resignation as deputy to the current 13th NPC. Ho noted that he would only be barred from being an ex-officio member of the Chief Executive Election Committee after the NPC Standing Committee approved his resignation as an NPC deputy, adding that only then would he formally be able to become a chief executive candidate.
This happened yesterday.
The 10th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee took place between last Saturday and yesterday. One of the items on the agenda was a discussion and decision on Ho’s request to resign from the national parliament. During yesterday’s meeting, which closed the four-day 10th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee, Ho’s request to resign was passed.
June 16
The election of the members of the Chief Executive Election Committee will be held on June 16. According to the Chief Executive Election Law, the 400-member Chief Executive Election Committee comprises 120 members representing the first sector (comprising the industrial, commercial and financial segments), 115 members representing the second sector (comprising the cultural, educational, professional and sports segments), 115 members representing the third sector (comprising the labour, social services and religious segments), and 50 members representing the fourth sector, which comprises: 1) 22 representatives chosen from among the city’s lawmakers; 2) the 12 local deputies to the NPC; 3) 14 representatives chosen from among local deputies to the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); and 4) two representatives chosen from among members of the city’s municipal organs (Municipal Affairs Bureau).
Legislative Assembly (AL) President Ho Iat Seng smiles during last Thursday’s press briefing in a meeting room of the legislature about his decision to run for chief executive, pending the NPC Standing Committee’s approval to resign from the nation’s top legislature. Photo: MPDG
