Macau will elect its next chief executive on 26th July, it was announced this week.
The nomination period will run from 12th to 23rd June with nomination forms available from 25th May onwards.
Before anyone permanently resident in Macau goes rushing out to register as a voter, bear in mind the decision is being made by a star chamber—a 300-member Election Committee made up principally of the great and of the good (at least in Beijing’s eyes).
A candidate must secure at least 50 nominations, meaning the number of contenders will be capped at six.
Campaign spending for each contender will be capped at 8.94 million patacas (USD1.1 million), the official gazette of the special administrative region said.
Fernando Chui Sai-on, aged 52, Secretary for Social and Cultural Affairs; Francis Tam Pak-yuen, aged 60, Secretary for Economy and Finance; and Ho Chio-meng, aged 54, Macau’s Chief Prosecutor, have been widely tipped as the frontrunners for the post.
Ho Iat-seng, a National People’s Congress Standing Committee member, has already ruled himself out of the contest.
Edmund Ho Hau-wah, the incumbent, will see his second and final term expire on 20th December. The date also marks the 10th anniversary of Macau’s return to China after 450 years of Portuguese administration.
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