Macau’s first ‘patriots’ election sees low turnout

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Turnout for Macaus legislative polls on Sept 14 was just 53 per cent of more than 328,000 registered voters.

PHOTO: AFP

MACAU - Macau’s first “patriots only” legislative polls on Sept 14 saw one of the worst turnout rates in recent years, preliminary results showed, after authorities disqualified a dozen candidates and arrested a former opposition lawmaker.

The Chinese casino hub – with a population just shy of 700,000 – amended its election laws in 2024, giving national security officials the final say on candidates’ eligibility.

More than 175,200 residents voted to choose 14 members of the city’s 33-seat legislature, with the remaining spots filled by sector-based indirect elections or by official appointment.

Officials said it was the highest number of votes cast in a legislative election since Macau reverted to Chinese rule in 1999.

But turnout was just 53 per cent of more than 328,000 registered voters, putting this vote fifth out of seven elections held post-handover in terms of participation.

Political scientist Eric Sautede told AFP that the Sept 14 turnout was a “perfect illustration of the expression ‘voting with one’s feet’”.

Election chiefs told a press conference they had no comment when asked about the record number of blank and invalid ballots cast – 5,987 and 7,077 respectively.

The elections strictly adhered to the fundamental principle of “patriots governing Macau”, city leader Sam Hou-fai said in a Sept 15 statement.

Macau, which has its own legal system largely based on Portuguese law, enacted national security legislation in 2009 and widened its powers in 2023.

Officials in July barred 12 election