The eighth Legislative Assembly was sworn in on Thursday (16th) at the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Trade and Economic Cooperation Service Platform Complex. The legislators then held a secret ballot at 3 PM at the Assembly building, electing former Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong as its chairman.
This morning, all 33 members of the eighth Legislative Assembly took their oaths at the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Complex, with Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai presiding over the ceremony. The eighth Legislative Assembly consists of 33 members, including 14 directly elected members, 12 indirectly elected members, and 7 appointed by the Chief Executive.
A plenary meeting was held at 3 PM to elect the Chairman, Vice Chairman, First Secretary, and Second Secretary of the Legislative Assembly. The meeting was chaired by José Pereira Coutinho, the directly elected legislator with the highest number of votes, conducted by secret ballot. A total of 33 ballots were cast, and Coutinho later announced the counting of votes.
Cheong was ultimately elected as the chairman of the eighth Legislative Assembly with all 33 votes, without any blank or invalid ballots. This marks the first time since the handover that a former senior government official has held the position of Legislative Assembly Chairman.
Coutinho then asked Cheong if he accepted the position, to which he replied, “I am willing”, taking his oath of office as the Legislative Assembly Chairman at 4 PM. The Legislative Assembly will later elect the Vice Chairman, First Secretary, and Second Secretary.
The 60 year-old was born in Beijing and before the handover, he served as the Director of the Land Registry and the Secretary for Justice. After the handover, he held the position of Commissioner Against Corruption at the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and from 2019, he served as the Secretary for Administration and Justice.
He also acted as the spokesperson for the fifth and sixth Executive Councils. Earlier, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai appointed Cheong as an official member of the Legislative Assembly, with the position of Secretary for Administration and Justice taken over by former Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak.
