The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, today congratulated Mr Sam Hou Fai on him being confirmed by the Central Government as the sixth-term Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) of the People’s Republic of China.

The President, Mr Xi Jinping, today received the sixth-term Chief Executive, Mr Sam, in the Fuijian Room of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. President Xi witnessed the Premier of the State Council, Mr Li Qiang, presenting Mr Sam with Decree No. 794 of the State Council, which confirmed Mr Sam’s appointment.

The sixth plenary meeting of the State Council held on 25 October and presided over by Premier Li had confirmed Mr Sam as the sixth-term Chief Executive of the MSAR.

Mr Ho noted in his congratulatory remarks today, that Mr Sam had, since the return of Macao to the motherland, served as the president of the Court of Final Appeal. He had dedicated himself to upholding the constitutional order established by the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the MSAR; and had been safeguarding the long-term stability and prosperity of Macao society. His efforts and contributions were widely recognised. Mr Sam’s overwhelming victory in the sixth Chief Executive Election reflected the broad recognition and support he had gained from all sectors of Macao society, noted Mr Ho.

Mr Ho and the current MSAR Government believe that Mr Sam, upon assuming office, will via his new government team, continue the work of uniting and leading all sectors of Macao society. Mr Sam will build on the solid foundation of 25 years of the MSAR, work for the continuous opening up of new horizons regarding development, and write a new chapter in the successful practise of the “One country, two systems” principle.

To support fully Mr Sam in forming a new administration, Mr Ho issued Executive Order 170/2024, published today in the MSAR Gazette. The Executive Order asks the Government Secretaries, as well as all public departments and relevant entities, to provide full support to Mr Sam in relation to human resources, materials and logistics. This is in order fully to assist in the organisation of the sixth-term MSAR Government, and to ensure a smooth and orderly transition of governmental responsibilities.

The directive covers the following:

1. Each Secretary’s office, as well as relevant public departments and entities, should provide full support to the incoming sixth-term Chief Executive within their respective areas of responsibility, particularly in terms of human resources, materials, and logistics, offering comprehensive cooperation and temporary reallocations of resources as might be necessary.

2. The Chief Executive’s Office should closely collaborate with the Office of the Chief Executive-designate to assist in the smooth transition between the current Chief Executive and the incoming sixth-term Chief Executive.

3. The necessary human resources to support the incoming sixth-term Chief Executive may be drawn from the staff of each Secretary’s office, as well as from public departments and entities designated by the Chief Executive for this purpose. These workers will retain their original legal and functional status as of the date of their reassignment to support the incoming sixth-term Chief Executive.

4. The remuneration of the aforementioned personnel, as well as expenses arising from statutory deductions or contributions for either healthcare, retirement benefits, pension schemes, or social security schemes, will be borne by the appropriate existing Secretary's office, public department, or entity.

5. Expenses resulting from the implementation of this directive that do not fall within the mandate of the various Secretarial offices – or the public departments or entities under them – shall be covered by the Government Headquarters Affairs Office’s budget, or by funds reallocated by the Financial Services Bureau for such purposes.