2014 Macanese Chief Executive referendum
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| Voting system | Simple majority, online voting | |
|---|---|---|
| Should the Chief Executive of Macau be elected by universal suffrage in 2019? | ||
| Do you have confidence in the sole candidate in the Chief Executive Election 2014 Chui Sai On Fernando becoming the Chief Executive? | ||
An unofficial two-part referendum on the Chief Executive of Macau was held in August 2014. Organised by Macau Conscience, Macao Youth Dynamics and Open Macau Society,[1] it asked whether voters supported reforming how the Chief Executive was elected and whether they had confidence in Fernando_Chui, the sole candidate in the 2014 election.[1] Following the organisers' announcement of the proposed referendum, the Macau Government and the Macau Liaison Office issued statements condemning the referendum as "illegal and unconstitutional".[2][3] Members of the organising committee and volunteers of the referendum were arrested by the police.[4] Despite the forced closure of physical polling stations, the referendum went ahead online between 24 August 2014 and 31 August 2014.[5] The organisers announced that 8,688 (96%) voted in favour of universal suffrage for the 2019 election and 7,762 (89%) voted having no confidence in Fernando Chui.[6]
Motions
[edit]On 1 August 2014, the organisers announced the referendum questions.[7]
- Motion 1: Should the Chief Executive of Macau be elected by universal suffrage in 2019?
- Option A: Yes;
- Option B: No;
- Option C: Abstention
- Motion 2: Do you have confidence in the sole candidate in the Chief Executive Election 2014 Chui Sai On Fernando becoming the Chief Executive?
- Option A: Yes;
- Option B: No;
- Option C: Abstention
Banned promotion
[edit]The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM), the predecessor of Municipal Affairs Bureau, rejected the organisers' venue application to set up stalls in public places to promote the referendum.[8] The IACM said the referendum "challenges and damages the national constitution and the Basic Law".[8] The Open Macau Society appealed the IACM's decision to the Court of Final Appeal.[8] The Court declared itself having no jurisdiction over the case and refused to rule on the legality of the civil referendum.[9] According to Jason Chao, the Court's decision effectively upheld the IACM's ban on setting up booths in public spaces to promote the referendum.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Grace Yu (2014-07-08). "Activists pledge to organize democracy referendum on CE election". Macau Daily Times. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ "Macau's democracy referendum: 'A new headache for Beijing'". DW. 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ "China dismisses planned Macau democracy vote as meaningless". Reuters. 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ "5 Arrested After Macau Attempts Hong Kong-Style Democracy Poll". The Wall Street Journal. 2014-08-25. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ J.C. (2014-08-27). "Protests in Macau Chipping in". The Economist. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ Jeffie Lam (2014-09-03). "90pc don't trust Macau leader, says 'referendum'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ Catarina Pinto (2014-08-01). "Flyers and flags: The referendum campaign hits the streets". Macau Daily Times. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ a b c Catarina Pinto (2014-07-25). "Pro-democratic groups file court appeal on referendum assemblies". Macau Daily Times. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ a b João Pedro Lau (2014-07-31). "TUI refuses to rule on unnoficial referendum case". Macau Daily Times. Retrieved 2020-09-07.