With regard to the 2017 Legislative Assembly Elections, nominating committees are being formed at this stage. Many individuals who intend to run for the election have started to collect voters’ signatures. According to the reports received by the CCAC, some groups or individuals recently hosted activities under different pretexts, where meals were offered to participants for free or at discounted prices. During these activities, announcements were made in relation to certain persons’ intentions to run for the upcoming election, or nominating committee forms were given to the participants to sign. Therefore, the CCAC is highly concerned about the matter.
According to Article 170 of the Electoral Regime of the Legislative Assembly of Macao, anyone who offers, promises or grants, by himself or through another person, benefits to a natural person or a legal person so that the latter will follow his direction to or not to form a nominating committee commit electoral corruption and may be subject to imprisonment for one to eight years. The law also prescribes that whoever requires or accepts the benefits provided by a person so he will follow the latter’s direction to or not to form a nominating committee may also be subject to imprisonment for up to three years. The CCAC would like to remind citizens that for the activities where benefits are offered to voters in whatever way so that they will follow a certain direction to form a nominating committee and a candidate list is made, both the organisers of the activities and the voters who have accepted the benefits and signed the nominating committee forms commit electoral corruption under the law.
The CCAC would like to stress that it will certainly carry out investigation into the reports and complaints about electoral bribery. At the same time, the CCAC would like to remind the people who intend to run for the upcoming Legislative Assembly Elections that both the establishment of nominating committees and the electoral activities afterwards should be carried out in strict compliance to the law. The CCAC will combat electoral corruption and other illegal activities related to the elections without prejudice and tolerance. In addition, we hope that citizens will report the illegal or irregular acts related to the elections through the complaint hotline and online platform jointly provided by the CCAC and the Management Committee of Legislative Assembly Elections.