The President of Macau’s Court of Final Appeal, Sam Hou Fai, is resigning from his position, effective on August 28th, in what is widely regarded as his first official step to run for Chief Executive.
According to a dispatch in the SAR’s Official Gazette, Sam Hou Fai is relinquishing his roles as president of the top court and as a judge, as well as a member of the Independent Commission responsible for nomination of Macau’s judges.
Last week, Macau’s incumbent Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, publicly announced that he would not be seeking a second term in office, a historical first for the gaming hub.
In a statement published by the Government Information Bureau, Ho Iat Seng was quoted as saying he wouldn’t run “due to the fact that my health has not been fully restored”.
He also stated he wouldn’t be running “for the sake of Macau’s long-term development and from the perspective of the overall situation”.
Despite his lengthy experience as a top judge in Macau, Sam Hou Fai – unlike previous Chief Executives – doesn’t have strong links to the Commercial sector, and his stance on gaming hasn’t been made publicly apparent.
However, if recent election frameworks repeat themselves, the top judge is likely to run unopposed.
In note last week, Seaport Research Partners’ Vitaly Umansky noted that the group does “not expect any material changes to the gaming industry resulting from a new chief executive” and that “status quo will likely be the main driver of the new Chief Executive”.
The elections for the top role are expected to take place in mid-October and all 400 members of the Electoral Commission have confirmed their declarations.
