Voters turned out on a warm, sunny day yesterday to choose a new legislature for the first time since Portugal handed this tiny gambling enclave back to China in 1999.
A total of 159,813 citizens was registered for the election, more than the 116,445 people who were eligible to cast ballots in the nation's most recent poll, which was conducted under Portuguese colonial rule in 1996. Some voters started lining up well before the 9am opening of 19 polling stations at schools and sports halls.
"I'm voting because it is our duty. Now that we've returned to China I think our voices will be stronger in the legislature," said Leong Kam-iok, 68, a housewife.
Only 10 seats out of the 27-member Legislative Assembly will be directly elected by voters choosing from 96 candidates affiliated with 15 political groups. Another 10 seats will be chosen by interest groups and seven will be appointed by Macau's top political leader, Chief Executive Edmund Ho (
In the last election, when Macau was still ruled by Portugal, all of those seven seats went to Portuguese lawmakers, appointed by Portuguese governor General Vasco Rocha Vieira.
Critics said ordinary citizens have little influence over the legislature because most of the seats aren't directly elected and this has contributed toward political apathy in the territory.
The election will be a test for pro-democracy politicians, whose influence in the legislature waned after only one such candidate was voted into the eight directly elected seats in 1996. The rest were split among pro-business and pro-China politicians.
While six pro-democracy parties are fielding 36 candidates in this election, democrats said they fear that only one or two of them will manage to get into the legislature, partly due to what they claim is the rampant problem of vote-buying.
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