
Macau鈥檚 next leader Sam Hou-fai said on Sunday his administration would support small local businesses after winning a one-man race for the city鈥檚 top office.
Previously the city鈥檚 top judge, Sam, 62, is set to be sworn in when the former Portuguese colony celebrates the 25th anniversary of its handover to China later this year.
Macau is a special administrative region under China鈥檚 鈥榦ne country, two systems鈥� framework.
Like his predecessors, Sam ran uncontested in an election where 400 pro-establishment figures choose a leader for the city鈥檚 6,87,000 people.
On Sunday, 398 ballots were cast 鈥� 394 for Sam, and four blank votes.
鈥楶eople want a capable and proactive government,鈥� he said in the post-election press conference.
鈥榌They] hope the government can take the initiative to improve the business environment, to support the recovery and development of the local economy, to assist micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in difficulty.鈥�
Known as China鈥檚 Las Vegas, Macau is the only Chinese city that allows gambling. The multi-billion dollar industry remains the city鈥檚 economic lifeline and main attraction for visitors, although Chinese leader Xi Jinping has urged Macau to diversify its portfolio.
After China lifted Covid restrictions and reopened its border in early 2023, Macau enjoyed a strong economic recovery with an influx of more than 26 million tourists from mainland China and Hong Kong.
In the first half of 2024, however, the city鈥檚 retail revenue slumped by 17.5 per cent year-on-year.
鈥楾he consumption ideas and habits of mainland tourists have changed, and on every public holiday in Macau, many residents (now) travel north and spend there,鈥� said Sam.
鈥楾his has impacted micro, small and medium-sized businesses.鈥�
He promised to support long-term development of local business, and stressed at the same time that 鈥榠ntergrating into the national development... is the most important policy for Macau鈥檚 future development鈥�.
Hailing from Zhongshan, a mainland Chinese city, Sam is the first leader not born in Macau and the first with a legal background 鈥� in contrast to his three predecessors who all came from the business sector.聽
He graduated from the elite law school of China鈥檚 Peking University and received further education in Portugal.
Sam was among the first batch of judges trained in Macau鈥檚 Magistrates Training Centre and was appointed the president of Macau鈥檚 Court of Final Appeal on the same day the territory was handed back to China on December 20, 1999.
Under his leadership, Macau鈥檚 apex court in 2021 outlawed the peaceful candlelight vigil held to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
The same year, Sam and his fellow judges ruled in favour of the Macau government鈥檚 decision to bar 21 pro-democracy candidates from running for the city鈥檚 legislature.