Sam Hou Fai, a former president of Macau’s Court of Final Appeal who was born in neighboring Guangdong province and served as a lawyer in the mainland Chinese judicial system, was chosen in a near-unanimous vote by a hand-picked election committee of around 400 Beijing loyalists on Oct. 13. Sam was “elected” as chief executive-designate with 394 votes in favor, 0 votes against, and 4 blank votes, or nearly 99% of the vote. He was the only candidate.
Speaking after the results were announced on Oct. 13, Sam vowed to continue the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s clampdown on dissent, vowing to “safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.”
