Election of 30 members in the professional sector of the Macao Chief Executive Election Committee was held Sunday in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Among 442 qualified voters from 45 elective societies, 393 people, or 88.91 percent of the voters, executed their right to vote from 32 candidates running for the seats.

This was the first time that a public election was held in the process of Macao's chief executive election.

Jose Chu, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Committee (EAC), said that the voting process was held orderly, and the high rate of voting reflected the importance that voters have given to the political event.

The result of a classified accounting of the votes will be held on Monday, which needs to be confirmed and published by the Macao Court of Final Appeal within a week, said Chu.

According to Macao's Chief Executive Election Law, which was passed by the Macao Legislative Council in April, the Election Committee will comprise 300 members to represent four mainstream sectors of Macao's civil society. Currently, only the professional sector has two more candidacy than the number of seats.

Under the Election Law, which is closely based on the Macao Basic Law, the election of the chief executive by the Election Committee must be held at least 60 days before the office holder's term expires. Incumbent chief executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah's five-year term will expire on Dec. 19 this year.

Source: Xinhua