Ho Iat-seng will be new city leader of Macau, China’s gambling hub

Sole candidate and business veteran Ho Iat-seng confirmed as the new Macau chief executive, rejecting criticisms on deteriorating rights and freedoms

The results of an unofficial poll about universal suffrage in the city were expected to be released on Monday

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Ho Iat-seng was the only candidate for Macau’s chief executive. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 12:25pm, 25 Aug 2019Updated: 12:04am, 26 Aug 2019

Ho Iat-seng was elected uncontested as Macau’s chief executive on Sunday by a 400-strong committee comprised mostly of pro-Beijing elites.

He received 392 out of 400 votes cast in a choreographed ceremony that lasted about one hour. There were seven blank votes and an invalid one.

His predecessor, Fernando Chui Sai-on – who has been in power for nearly 10 years – had garnered 380 of the 396 votes in his re-election five years ago.

After the results were announced, Ho pledged to “safeguard the prosperity and social stability” of the city.

At a press conference following the voting exercise, the chief executive-designate said that the freedoms and rights in Macau were legally protected, rejecting fresh criticisms.

Macau, one of two Chinese special administrative regions, has so far avoided the domestic turmoil that has embroiled Hong Kong, where anti-government protests erupted in June.

But recent events, which included a rally in support of Hongkongers that was not authorised by the police, appeared to show the limit to freedom of expression in Macau.

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