Sam Hou Fai was chosen by the Chief Executive Election Committee to serve as Macao’s next leader today, securing 394 of 400 votes. Sam secured an overwhelming 98.5 percent of the total votes cast, with only four blank ballots and two absentees recorded. The voting session, which took place this morning at rows of enclosed booths, was completed in a mere 20 minutes.
Sam, who was the sole candidate, will take the reins from incumbent chief executive (CE) Ho Iat Seng on 20 December. The new CE first laid out elements of his political platform on 28 September, noting that he wanted all of Macao to “forge ahead together through upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground.”
The 62-year-old former judge – whose family has been in Macao for three generations – said that he will unite and lead all sectors of society and the population to better play the role of government guidance, mobilise the initiative, enthusiasm and creativity of all parties, listen to the opinions of the population, gather the wisdom and strength of the population, and promote the comprehensive development of social, economic, cultural and livelihood issues in Macao.
He added that the love and support of his family have been his strongest backing, and that during the past 25 years, his colleagues in the Courts have always been by his side. He emphasised that he will dedicate himself body and soul to this city that he deeply loves and to its citizens, always with gratitude and sincere affection, without falling short of the standards of our time.
[See more: Sam Hou Fai pledges to reform Macao’s government and economy]
He said he had five priorities for his time in office: public service reform; economic diversification; national integration; the cultivating of local talent while attracting highly qualified professionals from further afield; and improving residents’ livelihoods.
Sam also said that Macao’s casino industry needed to “develop in a healthy manner,” with more regulation and an emphasis on operators expanding their offerings besides gambling.
[See more: Sam Hou Fai critiques Macao’s shortcomings at his first town hall meeting]
He has also been adamant that the SAR’s government needed to be more transparent and efficient, noting that better inter-department cohesion was needed when it came to legislative planning.
Sam was born in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, in 1962. He spent his early career working as a lawyer, and holds a law degree from Beijing University. He also studied Portuguese law and culture at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, and has been living in Macao since 1993.
As Macao’s foremost judge, he headed the SAR’s highest judicial body, the Court of Final Appeal, between Macao’s administrative handover from Portugal to China in December 1999 until late August this year – when it became clear he would be throwing his hat in the ring for the election.
[See more: Sam Hou Fai: Macao’s gaming industry needs ‘healthy, orderly and sustainable’ growth]
Sam, who has said he had always felt “the desire to serve Macao”, formally announced his candidacy for the position of CE on 28 August, one week after Ho declared he would not be running for a second term due to health reasons.
After securing 383 endorsements from the CE Election Committee (out of 400), Sam emerged as the only contender in the 2024 election. This is not unusual in Macao, where all but the SAR’s first election, in 1999, have been one-horse races.
