The President of the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Chief Executive Election, Ms Song Man Lei, noted voting was going on smoothly in the three polling stations for the process of selecting members for the Chief Executive Election Committee.

Ms Song’s comments were made this morning after inspecting preparations before the three polling stations opened for voting and after observing polling procedures after the voting began.

In her remarks to the media, the Commission’s President urged the voters concerned to fulfil their civic duty in the election of members of the Chief Executive Election Committee.

Ms Song said the preliminary result of vote counting would be available tonight. The result would be audited tomorrow (17 June) by the General Audit Committee for the Chief Executive Election Committee.

The full list of the names of the 400-member Chief Executive Election Committee will be published in the Macao SAR Gazette, once the electoral process and its subsequent auditing process were completed.

Ms Song pointed out that the Commission would carry out the next phase of work for electing a new Chief Executive, once a date for the Chief Executive Election had been decided by the current Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On.

When speaking to reporters this morning, Ms Song issued a reminder that voters should attend the polling station corresponding to the sub-sector they represented and for which they were allowed to choose a representative. Voters were required to present an appropriate identification document as well as a document verifying their right to exercise the power to vote.

When completing the ballot, voters should choose a number of candidates not exceeding the number of seats attributed to their relevant sector or sub-sector. Should such guidelines not be followed, the resulting vote would be considered a void ballot.

Voters were not allowed by law to reveal their polling preference to others either at the polling station or within 100 metres of it, Ms Song added.

The three stations for the polling are: the Macao Polytechnic Institute Multisport Pavilion (for the industrial, commercial and financial sub-sectors, and the education sub-sector); the Macau Forum (for the professional, sports and social service sub-sectors); and the Escola Luso-Chinesa Técnico-Profissional (for the cultural and labour sub-sectors). The polling stations are open until 6pm.