The current methods for the election of Macau’s chief executive by an electoral committee and the formation of the legislature by directly and indirectly elected and officially appointed members must remain unchanged, while the conditions for electing the chief executive of Macau in 2014 and forming the Legislative Assembly (AL) next year can be “appropriately” amended, according to a decision made by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing Wednesday.
According to Xinhua news agency “the decision stressed that any amendment must be made in line with Macau’s current situation and in a manner that contributes to the stability of Macau’s basic political system, local people’s benefits and the long-term prosperity and development of Macau.
Xinhua pointed out that the decision was made after deliberating a report submitted by Macau’s chief executive on whether it was necessary to amend the methods for forming the legislature next year and measures for electing the chief executive in 2014.
Macau’s next direct and indirect legislative elections are slated for next year.
According to the decision, the chief executive shall be elected by members of a broadly representative Election Committee. Besides, the legislature in its third and subsequent terms must be composed of directly and indirectly elected, and officially appointed lawmakers.
The legislature’s third term ended in 2009.
Macau’s only member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), Ho Iat Seng, said yesterday that 153 of the 154 members attending the 25th committee meeting voted in favour of the decision.
Ho, a prominent member of the local business community and vice-chairman of the Macau Legislative Assembly, made the announcement to The Macau Post Daily after he attended the NPCSC’s meeting in the Beijing.
He also said that the NPCSC’s decision marking Macau’s political development had entered its “critical stage” – first the local government has to propose its plan for political development, and then it must be supported by at least two thirds of the members of the Macau Legislative Assembly.
The Macau Post Daily said today that the most likely approach towards the political development issue was the so-called “2+2” solution – adding two more directly and two more indirectly elected members to the legislature, raising the number to 14 and 12, respectively, while keeping the number of government-appointed members unchanged at seven.
The sources also have told The Macau Post Daily that the number of members of the Chief Executive Election Committee would most likely be increased from 300 to 400.(macaunews)
