Chui Sai On wins Macao Chief Executive election
Chui Sai On won the third-term chief executive (CE) election of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Sunday, of which he was the only candidate.A total of 296 votes were cast by the 297 present members of the CE Election Committee, and Chui won 282 valid votes, the CE Electoral Affairs Committee, which oversees the election, announced after the voting procedure. The election was held at the Macao East Asian Games Dome this morning. By the SAR Law, Macao's new CE is elected within the 300- member CE Election Committee. Chui said at a press conference after the election that he is pleased to see that he was elected with majority votes, and he respects the choice of the committee members. Some 14 members cast abstention votes. Jos Pereira Coutinho, a local lawmaker, was the only committee member who did not cast his ballot. He said this was "a way" to express his opinion about the election. The number of votes won by Chui was lower than the incumbent CE Ho Hau Wah as he gained 296 votes in the second-term CE election held in 2004. Under the SAR's CE Election Law, anyone who intends to run for the CE office must be nominated by 50 of the 300 members of the CE Election Committee. Chui acquired 286 endorsements from the members. Chui also said that he will soon start preparing his new administration and he will devote himself to serving the people of Macao. However, he did not answer questions from the press concerning any new change he may bring to the SAR government. Born in Macao in 1957, Chui has been twice appointed as the SAR 's Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture ever since the establishment of the Macao SAR in 1999. He was also the best educated among Macao's top-ranking officials, as he holds a bachelor degree in Community Health from California State University, and a master's degree and PhD of Public Health from the University of Oklahoma. Despite winning the election, Chui still needs the appointment of China's central government to officially become the SAR's next chief executive, according to the SAR's Basic Law. The term of the incumbent CE Ho Hau Wah will end in Dec. 19 this year, after which the new CE will begin his five-year term in office. Macao's current CE Ho Hau Wah extended his congratulations to Chui after the election results were released, saying that he will assist Chui and his team to organize a new administration and ensure the SAR's smooth transition to new leadership. Meanwhile, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao SAR also said in a statement that the CE election was completed with success and it was a living epitome of the principles of "one country, two systems" and "Macao people administering Macao", and the fact that Macao SAR enjoys a high degree of autonomy. With the support from China's central government and the concerted efforts made by local people, Macao will have a better future under the new leadership, it said