Voting to head the executive power in China's Macau Special Administrative Region has ended with a victory for the former president of the Court of Appeals Sam Hou Fai, reported Xinhua and the Associated Press, cited by BTA.
Almost the entire CEO selection committee voted for Sam, who was the only candidate. He won with 394 votes out of 398, the other 4 members submitted blank ballots. The votes were counted and announced immediately after the voting closed.
According to the laws of the former Portuguese colony, to be elected, two-thirds of all members of the electoral commission must participate in the vote. In addition, the candidate must receive the support of more than half of all committee members, which is at least 200 votes. Both conditions were met.
The selected candidate now expects to be appointed by the central government in Beijing. He is likely to take office on December 20.
The election is largely ceremonial, Sam's quick victory was expected, AP notes. The 62-year-old candidate is believed to have Beijing's backing. He had also secured the support of 386 of the members of the electoral commission.
His victory marks a break with the long-standing custom of executives being born in the former Portuguese colony, usually members of powerful business families. The transition of the city's leadership to someone from the legal profession will create expectations to reduce the influence of the business community, which critics have often accused of colluding with officials, according to analysts. They now expect that Beijing's political agenda for the city will take priority.
Most of the territory's 687,000 residents do not have the right to vote, leading to mixed feelings about the election. Some hope Sam will listen to public opinion and avoid prioritizing business interests. According to political observers, many residents approve of the fact that Sam is not a native of the town, which has been home to migrants for decades.
Macao is the only place in China where casinos and gambling are legal. Beijing has urged the city to diversify its economy, which depends on gambling. Sam has promised to speed up the current government's plan to boost tourism and other sectors, but the city will still have to rely on the gambling industry for revenue, analysts say.
China wants Macau to become a world-class tourism and entertainment center and play a greater role as a trade bridge between the People's Republic of China and Portuguese-speaking countries.