Macao's election bill under legislative council procedure

Home>>China

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Macao's election bill under legislative council procedure

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The Legislative Council of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) started on Tuesday to review the Election Bill that has been approved and submitted by the Executive Council of the Macao SAR government.

At Tuesday's session, the legislature listened to an elaboration of the bill delivered by Morinda Da Rosa Silva Chan, Secretary for Administration and Justice on behalf of the SAR government. A general discussion and vote of the bill will be heldby the Legislative Council on February 20, which will regulate theelection of Macao's new Chief Executive later this year.

Under the bill, the election of Macao's next Chief Executive shall be held no later than 60 days before the current office-holder's five-year term expires. The incumbent Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah, who took office upon Macao's return to the motherland on Dec. 20, 1999, will finish his term on Dec. 19.

Sources closed to the Legislative Council said that the legislative is expected to cast the final vote of the bill in April, and then it will become legally effective. The election of an 300-member election committee will be held 15 days after the Election Law comes into effect.

The council began last week to solicit public opinions on the Election Bill, which was published by the SAR government's Executive Council on February 9. Macao citizens can also download the text of the bill from the Legislative Council's website or go to fetch the texts from the legislature.

Macao's next Chief Executive will be elected by the election committee and then appointed by the Chinese central government, asdefined by the Macao Basic Law. Only permanent Macao residents aged above 21 and who register as an eligible election voter can be elected as members of the Election Committee, which comprises of representatives from all works of life.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Chinese premier calls for government clean-up ( 26 Messages)

China reviews efforts to better serve people ( 7 Messages)

Japan decides to further cut back economic aid to China ( 60 Messages)

How 'sea turtles' turned out to be 'seaweeds'? ( 4 Messages)

CEO of Indian Wipro Industries: Chinese software industry can't catch up with India's ( 23 Messages)