China’s Macao holds Legislative Assembly elections

​​​​​​​ISTANBUL

The election for the eighth Legislative Assembly of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China began Sunday, state-run Xinhua News reported.

Polling opened at 9 am local time (0100GMT) and is set to close at 9 pm, with preliminary results anticipated early Monday.

The new legislature will consist of 33 seats: 14 filled through direct elections, 12 from indirect elections, and seven appointed by the Macao SAR chief executive within 15 days of receiving the final results.

There are 37 polling venues, including 38 for direct voting and five for indirect voting.

The Legislative Assembly serves as Macao SAR's lawmaking body, and members are permanent residents. Each legislative term lasts four years, with the exception of the first term, which had different provisions.

In 2024, Macao SAR revised its Legislative Assembly Election Law to strengthen the candidate vetting process, aligning with the principle of "patriots administering Macao" within the legal system.