Song Man Lei, the president of the Chief Executive Electoral Affairs Commission, yesterday announced that the campaign period for the candidates of Macau’s Chief Executive Election Committee will run from June 1 to June 14.
The election of the election committee members is scheduled for June 16.
The Electoral Affairs Commission held a regular meeting at the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo yesterday to discuss the campaign regulations and campaign period for the candidates.
After the closed-door meeting, Song told reporters that the campaign period will run between June 1 and June 14. The officially approved candidates are allowed to campaign only during the two-week period.
Song noted that the government announced last Friday the official list of the 350 candidates for the election. There will be about 5,700 voters from different sectors to elect 344 members of the 400-head Chief Executive Election Committee.
This time, there are 350 candidates for 344 seats up for grabs. Just two sub-sectors of the committee have more candidates than members – the education and labour segments.
Of the Chief Executive Election Commission’s 400 members, 56 are ex-officio members, such as Macau’s 12 deputies to the National People’s Congress (NPC), or are elected by their peers, such as those representing the Legislative Assembly (AL). The commission’s members representing Macau’s various religious organisations are appointed by their respective bodies.
Song also said that the secretariat of the Chief Executive Electoral Affairs Commission would soon notify the candidates. “If needed,” she said, “the government can provide venues for the candidates to use for their campaign activities.”
Further details about venue locations and venue registrations will be announced on the chief executive election website, according to Song.
Unlike the candidates for chief executive, there is no official limit on chief executive election committee candidates’ campaign expenditure, Song confirmed.
This year’s chief executive candidates’ campaign spending cap is set at 23.4 million patacas, corresponding to 0.02 percent of the 2019 government budget receipts, according to the Chief Executive Election Law.
The chief executive election is slated to be held in August.
Legislative Assembly President Ho Iat Seng is widely expected to be the sole chief executive candidate – as in the three previous elections.
Ho, a businessman, has said he plans to present his election campaign manifesto at the end of this month or early next month.
