The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election holds a work meeting.
The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election is now verifying each candidate’s eligibility and compliance with all relevant requirements to run for the Legislative Assembly Election, which will be held on 14 September.
The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, Mr Seng Ioi Man, gave the information to reporters today after a working meeting of the Electoral Affairs Commission.
The nomination period for candidate lists and political platforms ended on 26 June. The full list of candidates was posted in the lobby of the Public Administration Building on 28 June. By the statutory deadline of 30 June, no challenges regarding procedural compliance or candidate eligibility were submitted to the Electoral Affairs Commission.
The Electoral Affairs Commission has submitted all candidate lists and related materials to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), to review whether candidates uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the MSAR of the People’s Republic of China.
The Committee for Safeguarding National Security will then issue binding review opinions in the event of any candidates being deemed unqualified. Decisions made by the Electoral Affairs Commission based on these opinions are final and not subject to appeals or judicial challenges.
According to the official electoral schedule, the Electoral Affairs Commission will finalise its verification of candidate lists by 15 July and announce the results. Depending on any potential appeals, the confirmed candidate lists will be published as early as 18 July and no later than 31 July.
Mr Seng also talked about ballot design optimisation. Improvements aim to enhance clarity for voters and reduce the number of invalid ballots. As per Legislative Assembly Election Law, ballot papers will display candidate list numbers, names, abbreviations, or logos in sequential order, determined by public draw.
Since 2017, blue grid lines have been used to highlight voting squares, a design retained for this election. Voters must use the designated “check” field to signify their choice. Other methods of marking will result in an invalidated ballot.
Added spacing in terms of the design of the ballot form – in relation to the listing of candidates – has been added for clarity. Ballots will also consist of quick-drying, low-transparency paper, to ensure vote secrecy and to minimise the risk of errors.
To assist visually-impaired voters, tactile ballot templates with embossed serial numbers and circular holes will be provided at polling stations, enabling the visually-impaired to vote without needing assistance. Magnifying glasses will also be available.
In addition, Mr Seng issued a reminder for legal-person voters to submit their voter lists by next Monday (7 July), in order to exercise voting rights in indirect elections. Currently, 70 percent of the 781 eligible sectoral voters have submitted their lists.
The non-campaign period commenced on 27 June. No violations have been reported thus far. The Electoral Affairs Commission stressed that all forms of electoral promotion are prohibited during this period, and it will strictly monitor compliance of that.
