[Updated]
Macau Chief Executive (CE) Ho Iat Seng has prolonged his annual leave until July 29, according to an executive order published in the Official Gazette on Saturday.
This comes after a previous 16-day extension which ended on Friday, July 19. Ho has been on a long annual leave period since June 21. Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong will continue to assume his duties during the CE’s absence, the executive order signed by Ho Iat Seng indicates.
The Government Information Bureau (GCS) meanwhile issued a statement on Saturday indicating that during the ongoing holiday period the CE “underwent a routine medical examination and received necessary diagnostic and therapeutic care, and is currently in good health.”
The statement came “in response to recent media requests for information regarding the Chief Executive’s annual leave,” GCS said.
In total, the CE’s break will be 39 days. The extensions have led to questions about Ho’s health condition and whether he would be standing in the upcoming CE election. After the announcement of the previous extension, on July 7 sources told MNA that he was planning to announce his bid for a second term as head of the SAR Government following the election for the CE Election Committee members scheduled for August 11. The same sources noted that this was the first effective annual leave period he has taken since assuming office as Chief Executive on December 20, 2019.
Following the visit to Macau in May by Xia Baolong, Beijing’s top official in charge of Macau and Hong Kong affairs, Ho said the upcoming CE election had not been addressed in the meetings. He added that, at the time, May 19, he didn’t have anything to share with the public yet.
The August 11 election will select the 400 electors from different sectors of local society who will be choosing the CE. Existing electoral rules mandate that the two elections should be at least 60 days apart, indicating that the CE election could be held on October 13 at the earliest, as it is the first Sunday after the 60-day period. CE elections have consistently taken place on Sundays.
Ho Iat Seng’s predecessors, Edmund Ho and Chui Sai On, both served two five-year terms. With the exception of the first CE election, held in 1999, there has always been only one candidate on the ballot. Local businessman Jorge Chiang announced earlier this month his intention to run in this year’s CE election.
