The first consultation session for members of the public to share their comments on the revisions to the Legislative Assembly Election Law.
The Government would work closely with the Legislative Assembly on the revision process and related follow-up work, in a bid to optimise the system for elections to that body, said the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan. Ms Chan made the comments on Wednesday (18 May) during a public consultation on revisions to the Legislative Assembly Election Law. The session was attended by 180 people, with 20 of those present offering comments. The range of opinions expressed included: the need for further effort to maintain just, fair and untainted elections; the need to monitor online campaigning; and the necessity for supervision of election campaign materials provided by campaign teams. The Director of the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau, Mr Kou Peng Kuan, said the relevant Electoral Affairs Commission would provide clear guidelines in relation to online campaigning during elections by candidates to the Legislative Assembly. Mr Kou said under the proposed revisions, candidates would be held accountable for declaring the names of all people campaigning on their behalf. The Government also suggested that all campaign materials provided by a candidate’s campaign team should be published via an open platform. This would enable members of the public to be more easily involved in the election process. If any element of the campaign effort – as publicly declared – was found to be contrary to the revised Legislative Assembly Election Law, candidates could risk facing bribery charges, said the Assistant Commissioner of the Commission Against Corruption, Mr Lam Chi Long, at Wednesday’s session. The Government launched on 7 May a public consultation – lasting until 5 June – on revisions to the Legislative Assembly Election Law. The next consultation session for members of the public will be held on 29 May. To register for it, please refer to the website http://www.elections.gov.mo; by telephone on +853 8866 8866; or by fax to +853 8987 0011 or +853 8987 0022; or visit in person the Edifício “Administração Pública” at Rua do Campo, nº 162. During the consultation period, the Government had held a total of three sessions for representatives of different sectors, such as: consultative bodies under the Chief Executive and the Secretary for Administration and Justice; associations for legal professionals and civil servants; groups for the commerce and finance sectors; consultative bodies under the Secretary for Economy and Finance and the Secretary for Transport and Public Works. There will be an addition session for representatives from sectors including labour, social services and education, to share their opinion regarding the Government’s proposal. Members of the public are welcome to contribute their opinions before the end of 5 June to the website http://www.elections.gov.mo; or by post to: Rua do Campo, nº 162, Edifício “Administração Pública”; or by telephone on +853 8866 8866; or by fax to +853 8987 0011 or +853 8987 0022.
