The Macao government has expressed strong opposition to a report passed by the European Parliament.
In an official statement, the government said that ‘the principles of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and ‘Macao people administering Macao’ with a high degree of autonomy have been successfully implemented.”
In a report which looked at the European Union’s new strategy on China, the European Parliament had urged China to respect the Macao Basic Law and the provisions of the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration that prevent any interference in the country’s electoral processes and in the functioning of the media.
“After banning ceremonies to mark the anniversary of Tiananmen and pressing media organisations to adopt a pro-China editorial line this summer, Chinese authorities excluded 21 candidates, most of whom were members of pro-democracy movements to participate in the legislative elections in Macao, held on 12 September,” said the document.
The Macao government noted that last Sunday’s election of the 7th Legislative Assembly of the SAR was carried “in strict accordance with the Basic Law and the Legislative Assembly election law, and the vote took place in a fair, just and clean manner.”
“The basic rights of Macao residents, including the right to vote, have been fully guaranteed by the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Macao Basic Law,” said the government.
“The legislative election is completely Macao’s internal affair, which no foreign institution including the European Parliament has the right to interfere in,” said the statement.
The Macao government also pledged “that it would safeguard the freedom of the press and the basic rights of Macao residents in accordance with the law.”
