Macao Legco passes detailed Chief Executive Election Bill

Home>>China

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, April 02, 2004

Macao Legco passes detailed Chief Executive Election Bill

The Legislative Council of the MacaoSpecial Administrative Region (SAR) at its plenum on Thursday passed a detailed Chief Executive Election Bill.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The Legislative Council of the MacaoSpecial Administrative Region (SAR) at its plenum on Thursday passed a detailed Chief Executive Election Bill.

The bill on the election of Macao's second chief executive willcome into force after being signed by the incumbent, first chief executive of the Macao SAR, Edmund Ho Hau Wah.

The passage of the bill was made after public opinion solicitation and detailed discussions about its contents at ten meetings of the Legislative Council.

The bill contains detailed regulations on the composition of the Election Committee, the election of candidates for the office of Chief Executive, and the timing of election.

According to the bill, the Chief Executive shall be elected through "one person one vote" by a 300-member broadly representative Election Committee. Most members shall be elected by people from various walks of life, including the industrial, commercial and financial sectors, the professions, the labor, social services, and religious sectors. Forty members are Macao deputies to the Chinese National People's Congress, representatives of the Macao members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and representatives of the members of the Macao Legislative Council.

There were 200 members on the previous election committee, which elected the first chief executive of the Macao SAR in 1999. Macao returned to the motherland in December 1999.

The incumbent Chief Executive, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, will finish his five-year term on Dec. 19. The election of Macao's next Chief Executive shall be held not later than 60 days before the current chief executive's term expires, according to the bill.

The 161-article Election Bill says that chief executive candidates shall be nominated by not less than 50 members of the Election Committee. An administrative commission shall be set up to oversee the election.

Macao's Chief Executive shall be elected by an election committee in accordance with the Basic Law of the Macao SAR and appointed by the Chinese central government. Only permanent Macao residents who are aged above 21 and who register as eligible election voters can be elected as members of the Election Committee.

The Legislative Council passed the bill in general on Feb. 20. Afterwards, opinions and suggestions were collected and revisions were made by the council.

Source: Xinhua

Questions?Comments? Click here

Polls favor indirect vote of Macao's next chief executive

Macao's GDP grows 15.6 percent in 2003

Israel's killing of Yassin fuels conflict: Commentary ( 2 Messages)

How the US could improve its image abroad ( 14 Messages)

US urged not to fingerprint Chinese ( 10 Messages)

China hunts corrupt officials who abscond overseas ( 3 Messages)

Seven Chinese activists land on Diaoyu Islands ( 4 Messages)