The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election has dismissed an objection regarding the revised general list of candidate teams.

The Commission found the objection – filed by the “Novos Ideias” candidate team on 24 July – was without merit, the Chairman of the Commission, Mr Tong Hio Fong, told reporters after a Commission meeting on Thursday (27 July).

The trustee of the “Novos Ideias” team was still entitled to challenge the dismissal by filing legal proceedings against the Commission’s decision in the Court of Final Appeal by the end of 28 July, stated Mr Tong.

According to the Legislative Assembly Election Law, candidate teams for the 2017 Legislative Assembly Election are not allowed to submit new information about their respective members after the deadline for submission of such information closed on 10 July. Only teams asked by the Commission to amend the information submitted or required to provide additional information can submit new materials.

Mr Tong also told reporters that the Commission had approved a withdrawal application filed by the third candidate on the electoral ticket submitted by the “Linha da Frente dos Trabalhadores de Casinos” candidate team.

Following these latest developments, it means a total of 25 teams, with an aggregate of 192 candidates, will contest the direct election of the sixth Legislative Assembly Election, to be held on 17 September.

The Commission posted on Thursday in its office at the Public Administration Building the general list of accepted candidate teams. Mr Tong said the date of publication of the definitive version of the general list of accepted candidate teams would depend on the potential filing of legal objections on the Commission’s decision by the relevant candidate team.

If no legal proceedings are filed, a definitive version of the general list of accepted candidate teams would be published next week, said Mr Tong. That would be followed by a draw on the following day to determine the order in which candidate teams would appear on the ballot paper.

Mr Tong also noted that the official campaign period would run from 2 to 15 September. Promotional activities of candidate teams are not allowed outside the official campaign period, according to the Legislative Assembly Election Law. The Commission plans to issue an instruction next week to request teams to remove all existing campaigning information until the start of the official campaign period.

In addition, Mr Tong said the Commission had heard testimony from some 100 individuals found signing the nomination papers of more than one nomination committee, contrary to regulations. The Legislative Assembly Election Law stipulates that only political associations and nomination committees have the right to nominate candidate lists for the process of direct election to the Legislative Assembly.

The Public Security Police Force would assist the Commission in reaching 10 other people – also found signing the nomination papers of more than one nomination committee – that so far were uncontactable. The Commission expected such work would be completed by August, said Mr Tong.