The Macau government announced on Thursday that it will amend the Law on the Election of the Chief Executive to include a provision requiring the city’s gaming concessionaires to maintain neutrality during the election.
At a press conference detailing the proposed changes, Macau’s Secretary for Administration and Justice, Cheong Weng Chon, explained the importance of the concessionaire’s neutrality in the selection process, arguing that their stance must not undermine the fairness of the election.
“The gaming industry is the main economic pillar of Macau and the proportion of employees employed by concessionaires is very high in relation to the working population,” he said. “The government does not want concessionaires to be inclined to support one candidate and mobilize their employees to do so.
“The Law on the Election of the Legislative Assembly already provides for the neutrality of concessionaires, but the Law on the Election of the Chief Executive does not have this provision, and the government believes that the Law on the Election of the Chief Executive should also be changed.”
During the 2017 Legislative Assembly election, a citizen complained to the media that the requirement of neutrality from concessionaires might violate the principle of freedom of speech of residents under the Basic Law.
However, the Commission Against Corruption explained that if the senior executive of a concessionaire directly or indirectly intervened in the election campaign and used their company’s human or material resources to act in support of one candidate list or against another, it would hinder fair competition different candidate lists and affect the fairness and impartiality of the Legislative Assembly election.
Macau’s next Chief Executive election is due to take place in 2024.
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