Macau, China, 09 Jan – Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping will meet Saturday Macau’s four undeclared chief executive candidates, according with Macau Post Daily.
The Macau paper said today the four potential “candidates” are Secretary for Economy and Finance Francis Tam Pak Yuen, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Fernando Chui Sai On, Chief Public Prosecutor Ho Chio Meng, and business community leader and deputy to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing, Ho Iat Seng.
Ho Iat Seng is also a vice-president of the Macau Chamber of Commerce and a member of Edmund Ho’s top advisory body, the 10-member Executive Council.
So far none of the four has ever said that they are willing to run for Macau’s top post .
The Portuguese press reported this week that Ho Iat Seng had said he would not run for the post. Chinese and English-language newspapers , however, reported that Ho Iat Seng said he was “not thinking about” the matter “now.”
Observers expect the candidacies for chief executive to be made public in March.
The election of the chief executive by a 300-member electoral college is scheduled for June.
The chief executive-elect will replace Edmund Ho Hau Wah, who is constitutionally barred from running for a third consecutive term, at the helm of the local government on December 20.
Macau Post Daily said the vice-president would meet the four “candidates” during a meeting with government and judicial officials, legislators, executive councilors and community leaders at Macau Dome in Cotai Saturday afternoon.
Xi Jinping, 55 year, is scheduled to arrive in Macau via Zhuhai’s Gongbei border town Saturday morning for a two-day visit to Macau.
Vice-President Xi, in charge of Hong Kong and Macau affairs, last visited Macau in January 2005 when he was the party boss of Zhejiang province.
On Saturday, according with the Macau Post Daily, Xi Jinping ” will give an important speech about political, economic and social issues”.
On Sunday the Chinese Vice –President will meet with the top representatives of mainland enterprises and organizations based in Macau and. among others, representatives of the Macanese community which accounts for about 1.5 percent of the local population.
(Macaunews)
