GGRAsia – Angela Leong to get Macau legislator seat via indirect poll

Angela Leong to get Macau legislator seat via indirect poll

Jun 28, 2021 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck

Angela Leong On Kei, a co-chairman and executive director of Macau casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd, is standing for re-election as member of Macau’s Legislative Assembly. For the upcoming poll, she is for the first time taking part in the indirect-election portion of the process, and will run unchallenged. This means she is basically guaranteed to be elected.

The indirect-election portion of the process involves five constituencies representing various economic and social sectors, each electing between one to four legislators. In contrast, the direct-election portion of the process sees tickets competing for the popular vote.

Ms Leong (pictured in a file photo) will be running in the constituency representing culture and sports, which gets to elect two legislators. She will team up with incumbent legislator Chan Chak Mo.

Ms Leong and Mr Chan’s platform submitted on Monday, to the Electoral Affairs Commission, the candidate list for their ticket and its electoral platform, local media reported.

As there is only one ticket disputing this constituency – the same situation as will occur with the other four constituency-based processes – Mr Chan has also virtually secured an indirectly-elected seat in the next Legislative Assembly.

The entire election process – direct and indirect – will be held on September 12.

Ms Leong – the fourth consort of the late Stanley Ho Hung Sun, the founder of SJM Holdings – has been a directly-elected Macau legislator since 2005.

The term of the next Legislative Assembly will run from 2021 to 2025. The body will have 14 directly-elected legislators, 12 indirectly-elected legislators, and seven government-appointed ones.

The upcoming legislative election in Macau is also to have the participation of a local gaming activist: Cloee Chao Sao Fong, known to the public for heading the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association, will lead an election ticket seeking to secure at least one directly-elected legislator seat.

One of the topics likely to be presented to the new Legislative Assembly is the revision of Macau’s gaming law.

The city’s current six gaming concessions are due to expire in June 2022, unless the authorities grant a form of limited extension as permitted under current Macau gaming law. The government has said Macau’s gaming law needs to be updated as a linked issue to a new public tender.