The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) announced early Monday morning that 26 candidates were preliminarily elected to the eighth Legislative Assembly through direct and indirect elections.
Voting started at 9 a.m. and concluded at 9 p.m. Sunday local time.
The new legislature of the Macao SAR comprises 33 members, including 14 directly elected members, 12 indirectly elected members and seven members appointed by the Macao SAR chief executive.
Those appointed will be designated by the chief executive within 15 days of receiving the final election results.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai on Monday extended congratulations to the 14 directly elected and 12 indirectly elected members, and expressed thanks to all voters who participated in the election.
Sam noted in a statement that the dedication of the electoral affairs commission, public departments and civil servants had been an indispensable element in guaranteeing the success of the election. With concerted efforts from various sectors, a lawful, fair, impartial and clean environment had been maintained for the election, he said.
The chief executive emphasized that this year’s Legislative Assembly election is of great significance, as it is the first election following the amendment to the Legislative Assembly Election Law last year.
The election was held in line with the “One Country, Two Systems,” “Macao people administering Macao,” and the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by the Macao SAR, he said, adding that it strictly adhered to the principle of “patriots administering Macao,” safeguarded the constitutional order established under China’s constitution and the Basic Law of the Macao SAR, and ensured steady progress of the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems.”
The SAR government will, as always, strictly uphold the constitution and the Basic Law, maintaining good communication and cooperation with the Legislative Assembly to serve the Macao community, Sam said.
He underlined that the SAR government is looking forward to working closely with the Legislative Assembly to promote economic development, improve people’s well-being, and build a better future for Macao.
The Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR is the region’s legislative body, and its members are permanent residents of the SAR. Except for the first term, which was stipulated otherwise, each term lasts four years.
In 2024, the Macao SAR amended its Legislative Assembly Election Law, improving the candidate qualification review process to further implement the principle of “patriots administering Macao” within the legal framework, while also refining stages of the election process to ensure that the election is conducted in a fair, just, clean and orderly manner.
