Incumbent Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has announced that he will not seek a second term in office, citing health concerns. The announcement also comes days after a closed-door meeting with a senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official.
Ho, 67, issued a statement on Wednesday (21 August) explaining his decision, which has left a sense of suspense over who will succeed him as the city’s leader for the next five years.
“As the term of office of the fifth chief executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region is coming to an end, I, Ho Iat Seng, hereby would like to sincerely thank the central government, all the sectors of Macao society and our residents for their full trust and steadfast support over the past five years,” Ho stated.
“Furthermore, I would like to thank all the civil servants for their close collaboration and coordination as well.”
Ho’s announcement broke with the long-standing tradition set by the city’s two previous leaders, Edmund Ho and Chui Sai On, who both served two full terms, as widely expected.
Shi Taifeng, a 68-year-old official who sits on the Politburo — the country’s top decision-making body — was in town last weekend for a two-day visit.
He was said to have met with all the key officials and conveyed the messages of the resolution adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee held in mid-July.
“The fifth Macau SAR Government and I planned to promote Macao’s diversified development, strove to build a new pattern of Macao’s development and reshaped Macao’s new competitive advantages under the concept of ‘unity and efforts, change and innovation’,” he continued in the statement.
“I have profound feelings for Macau and have done my utmost for Macao’s development but due to the fact that my health has not been fully restored, for the sake of Macao’s long-term development and from the perspective of the overall situation, I have decided not to participate in the election for the sixth-term chief executive,” he added.
Prior to Wednesday’s announcement, Ho raised eyebrows in June when he began his lengthy medical leave, which lasted for over a month – from 21 June to 29 July.
The only person who so far publicly expressed willingness join the leadership race is Jorge Chiang, a little-known businessman who had garnered little to no publicity before announcing his intention to run.
The first obstacle he faces is whether he will be able to secure at least 66 nominations from a 400-strong panel of electors.
