Macao voters highlight social unity

Officials of the central authorities and the Macao Special Administrative Region government hailed on Monday the outcome of the city's legislative elections as having "thoroughly implemented" the principle of "patriots administering Macao" and being in line with the expectations of all sectors.

They expect the 26 new lawmakers preliminarily elected on Sunday to uphold the spirit of patriotism and love for Macao and work closely with the executive branch to accelerate the city's growth and contribute to national development.

Voting in the elections for the Macao SAR's eighth Legislative Assembly got underway at 9 am on Sunday and ended at 9 pm to return 14 directly elected lawmakers and 12 others in sector-based indirect elections to the 33-seat assembly. The remaining seven seats will be appointed by the SAR's chief executive within 15 days of the final results being confirmed.

According to the SAR's Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election, initial figures showed that 175,272 ballots had been cast in the direct elections — the highest on record. The turnout reached 53.35 percent — a notable increase from the 42.38 percent recorded in the previous election in 2021.

Indirect elections were held in five sectors — industrial, commercial and financial, labor, professionals, social services and education, and culture and sport. A total of 6,645 eligible voters cast their ballots for their own sectors, with a turnout of 88.12 percent.

Under the SAR's electoral system, voters in the direct elections cast their ballots for teams of multiple candidates. The ballots a team receives are allocated proportionally to candidates listed in the group. The first candidate on the list takes all the votes received, while the second gets half of them, and the third is allocated a quarter. Each candidate is ranked according to the number of ballots received and the top 14 win seats. The same ballot-counting method will be used for the indirect elections.

Local political party New Hope emerged as a significant victor in the polls with 43,361 votes. It secured another four-year tenure for its two incumbent lawmakers, Jose Pereira Coutinho and Che Saiwang, and won a third seat for Chan Hao-weng.

The Macau United Citizens Association finished second with 29,459 votes, winning three seats for Song Pek-kei, Lei Leong-wong and Chan Lai-kei.

A representative of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said the elections drew broad social participation, high enthusiasm among voters, and a significant voter turnout, reflecting a healthy, positive and vibrant atmosphere in Macao's high-quality democracy.

The newly elected legislators have garnered widespread acclaim across Macao for their comprehensive qualities, the representative said.

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR said the polls truly reflect Macao's people-centered governance, reaching a new height in the city's democratic progress.

It added that as the nation marches towards great rejuvenation at an unstoppable pace, Macao is now in its best period of growth.

The Liaison Office believes the newly elected legislators will dutifully support the Macao SAR government in its governance, and hasten the city's development, particularly in advancing a moderately diversified economy.

Macao Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai said the entire election process took place in an orderly manner, with polling stations operating smoothly and voters actively exercising their civil rights.

He said the polls — the first to be held since a revamp of Macao's Legislative Assembly Election Law last year — have rigorously upheld the principles of "one country, two systems", "Macao people administering Macao", and a high degree of autonomy.

The Macao leader said he expects to see closer communication and active collaboration between his administration and the new Legislative Assembly in collectively advancing Macao's economic and social development.

The new legislators vowed to reciprocate voters' support with concrete action, reaffirming their work priorities and key objectives for the assembly's new term in areas like the economy, public welfare and youth development.

It will be a second four-year term as a lawmaker for Lei of the Macau United Citizens Association. He reaffirmed his team's commitment to fulfilling their policy platforms, such as prioritizing local employment, linking pension adjustments to the city's minimum subsistence index, and refining the accountability system for officials.

Lee Koi-ian, who represents the Macau-Guangdong Union, is a newcomer to the legislature. He pledged to help the SAR government strengthen policies to support small- and medium-sized enterprises, and revitalize community economic development.

Lee said it's important to step up cooperation between the Macao SAR and Guangdong province by attracting more high-quality Guangdong enterprises to set up branches in the city. He believes this will not only advance Macao's moderately diversified economy, but also create more job opportunities for youth.