The Conference for Electing Deputies of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) to the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) convened its first plenary session on Friday in preparation for electing 12 local NPC deputies.

The election of the 12 deputies representing the MSAR in the 13th NPC will be held during the electoral conference’s second plenary session on December 17.
The electoral conference’s first plenary session was held on Friday at the Macau East Asian Games Dome in Cotai.

The plenary session, attended by 430 members of the electoral conference, elected an 11-member presidium, which will preside over the future meetings of the electoral conference. The electoral conference has a total of 481 members.

Of the 430 members who attended the plenary session, 426 members voted in favour of the 11 members of the presidium, while four members abstained.

The 11 presidium members, including Chief Executive Chui Sai On and his predecessor Edmund Ho Hau Wah, who is now a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), then held their first meeting and elected Chui as the executive chairman of the presidium.

In addition to Chui and Ho, the 11 presidium members also include Legislative Assembly (AL) President Ho Iat Seng and his predecessors Lau Cheok Va and Susana Chou.

According to a press conference hosted by the spokesman of the presidium, Leong Heng Teng, the nomination for local deputies to the 13th NPC, which started yesterday, will end on December 6. The election of the 12 local NPC deputies will be held at the electoral conference’s second plenary session on December 17, according to Leong.

According to the press conference, Macau residents of Chinese nationality aged 18 or above are eligible to run for NPC deputy. They need to obtain at least 10 nominations by electoral conference members for their registrations to be effective. The maximum number of nominees each electoral conference member can nominate will be 12.

Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the NPC Standing Committee Wang Chen called in a speech at the first plenary session on Friday for the “comprehensive and accurate implementation of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and to ensure the right direction of the election.”

Wang also said that, according to local NPC deputy election methods, candidates shall declare in their registration forms that they uphold the nation’s Constitution, the Macau Basic Law and the “one country, two systems” principle, bear allegiance to the nation and the MSAR, and have not received directly or indirectly any form of funds in relation to the election from any foreign entity, organisation or individual.