澳门不再允许民主人士参加选举 已登记的被取消参选资格

The Electoral Affairs Commission has today (Friday) announced that it has disqualified 21 candidates included in six electoral lists for the 2021 legislative Assembly elections for “failing to support the Macau SAR and its Basic Law”.

The committee did not name the specific electoral lists or candidates, citing that further information could only be provided after the relevant appeal procedures are settled.

“After vetting, the Election Committee […] found there is evidence showing candidates in six electoral lists don’t uphold the Basic Law of Macau SAR or pledge allegiance to the Macau SAR. Thus, in accordance with the local electoral laws, these candidates don’t have qualifications for running the election,” the committee head Tong Hio Fong, said today in a special press conference called to announce the decision.

Explaining the vetting process, Tong only said the Election Committee made the decision based on the information received from the police through the Office of the Secretary for Security about the candidates.

The New Macao Progressive Association list, which included as top-biller legislator Sulu Sou Ka Hou elected in the 2017 AL elections, has already confirmed that all its five candidates in the list have been disqualified, with the association stating that it will follow up with the relevant administrative and legal procedures.

The main candidate of the Democratic Prosperous Macao Association, former President of New Macau Association (NMA), Scott Chiang – who is running after veteran legislator Au Kam San decided to retire from the political scene – also confirmed that all five candidates in his list – including veteran legislator Ng Kuok Cheong – were also disqualified.

Candidates from the New Macao Progressives list headed by former legislator Paul Chan Wai and from the New Macao Gaming list, headed by veteran gaming staff sector and labour rights activist Cloee Chao Sao Fong, are also said to have been disqualified.

The disqualified candidates could address the decision by the Committee, or change candidates in the electoral list by no later than Monday, according to the commission.

Tong also added that the election committee made the decision after it has become aware of a recent verdict by the Court of Final Appeal, namely its decision to reject an appeal by the Macau Union of Democratic Development to hold a public Tiananmen incident vigil on June 4, as it considered it offensive to the Chinese central government.

“[The verdict] confirms the relevant mechanism and system enshrined in the Basic Law of Macau SAR and the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. After this verdict, the Election Committee, as the body in charge of the electoral affairs, has the responsibility to follow up the matter.”

Asked about the grounds for disqualifying some disqualified candidates, who are incumbent legislators, Tong only commented: “The situation is different in each AL election. What we do only concerns the 2021 election.”

“There are two different concepts between the candidates signing documents saying they uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the Macau SAR and whether there is evidence proving they really do so,” he concluded.

The decision mirrors decisions made in Hong Kong, where authorities have disqualified several elected legislators for failing to abide by requirements involving national sovereignty, supporting Hong Kong independence or involving national security legislation.