Sam Hou Fai is set to stand uncontested in next month’s Macao chief executive (CE) election, after submitting a document with the endorsements of 383 CE Election Committee members to the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo at 10 am today.
The committee is a 400-strong body, made up of representatives from various social and economic sectors, that ultimately decides Macao’s next leader in the election on 13 October.
Sam’s endorsements represent nearly 96 percent of the 400 endorsements that are up for grabs, meaning that no other potential competitors will be able to garner the minimum 66 endorsements needed to participate in the election
According to multiple media reports, the former judge said this morning he would continue to work towards winning over the support of the remaining committee members as well as gather the opinions of the local community.
[See more: Sam Hou Fai is a ‘wise choice’ for CE, says the head of the Macanese Association]
Sam’s lack of a competitor is not an anomaly in local politics, as all of Macao’s previous CE elections, save for the inaugural one in 1999, had only a single candidate.
In recent days, the presumptive CE met with 9 representatives from business associations in three local districts to discuss the current status of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and their future development.
The associations, which included the Industry and Commerce Federation of Macau Central and Southern District, the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District and the Industry and Commerce Federation of Islands of Macao, suggested that more measures were needed to help boost the economy in neighbourhood areas, as well as struggling SMEs.
The business organisations also suggested the idea of setting up a body dedicated to grassroots economic development, as well as proposing plans for the development of the city’s historic districts.
