Sam Hou Fai is Macau’s new (pro-Beijing) chief executive

A judge for 25 years, he is the first top leader from mainland China and not from local business families. As the only candidate, he was chosen yesterday with 394 votes out of 398 by the local election committee. Beijing has long urged Macau to develop sectors other than gambling, a challenge that Hou Fai will have to face.

Macau (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Sam Hou Fai, the former president of the Court of Final Appeal of Macau, the highest court of the Special Administrative Region, was elected yesterday as the territory’s new chief executive. He was the only candidate.

Unlike his predecessors, all born into business families from the former Portuguese colony, the 62-year-old is the first head of Macau born in mainland China.

Out of 398 members on the election committee, 394 voted for him (four ballots were spoiled), in an election that was largely pre-arranged by Beijing.

Before the vote, Hou Fai had already obtained the support of 386 election committee members, including several influential figures in the city.

Most of Macau's residents – about 687,000 people – do not have the right to vote. Unlike Hong Kong, residents in the former Portuguese colony are more comfortable with Chinese influence in the city, the only place in China where gambling is legal.

Beijing is pushing for Macau to reduce its dependence on this sector, which is why it is trying to promote tourism, traditional Chinese medicine, and financial services.

This has raised eyebrows among observers who are sceptical because it will be difficult to give up gambling revenue to support Beijing's ambitious goals.

China would also like Macau to become a commercial outpost for trade with Portuguese-speaking countries.

Choosing someone from the legal profession rather than business could reduce the influence of business circles on local politics, experts say, after business groups have been accused of collusion with local officials in the past.

It remains to be seen whether the former judge will be able to form an administration capable of dealing with all the issues that concern Beijing.

After graduating from Peking University in Beijing and the University of Coimbra (Portugal), Sam Hou Fai, who hails from the southern province of Guangdong, worked as a lawyer in mainland China.

With Macau's return to Chinese rule in 1999, he was appointed top judge, a position he held until August this year, when he resigned to take part in the elections.

In his career, he has handled several politically sensitive cases. In one case, he refused an appeal against the police's ban on commemorating the events of Tiananmen and in another he upheld a lower court decision to prevent pro-democracy advocates from running in the 2021 legislative elections.

• china
• macau
• portugal
• chief executive
• court of final appeal