The Court of Final Appeals in the Macao Special
Administrative Region (SAR) confirmed on Wednesday the outcome
of the Election Committee's ballot for Macao's second chief
executive and the State Council officially reappointed Edmund Ho
Hau Wah. Premier Wen Jiabao
declared Ho's reappointment with the signing of State Council
Decree No. 414.
Ho's second term will begin on December 20, 2004.
Wednesday's State Council plenary meeting was attended by vice
premiers Huang
Ju, Wu
Yi, Zeng
Peiyan and all state councilors as well as by Wen. Before
ratifying the appointment, they considered reports on the election
submitted by the Macao SAR government and the Hong Kong and Macao
Affairs Office of the State Council.
Ho was the only candidate in the election, receiving 296 votes
in favor and three abstentions from the 299 members of the
committee who voted on Sunday morning. Macao's Election Committee
has a total of 300 members.
"The election process fully complies with the Basic Law and
other relevant laws of the Macao SAR," said Wen.
Wen stated that the selection of Ho represents the
implementation of the principles of one country, two systems and
Macao people governing Macao with a high-degree of autonomy.
According to Wen, with the support of the central government Ho
led Macao to map out socioeconomic development policies in an
active, enterprising and practical manner. He has steadily advanced
various reforms, improved social security, reinforced Macao's
cooperation with the mainland and strengthened its international
contacts. Under Ho's leadership, Macao has realized social
stability, security and comfort for its residents and sustainable,
rapid economic development.
Wen said that Ho's reappointment will be conducive to Macao's
prosperity and stability and to the further advancement of the one
country, two systems principle.
Born in Macao in 1955, Edmund Ho Hau Wah is the son of
businessman Ho Yin. Going abroad to study at the age of 13, Ho
graduated from the Business Management Department of York
University in Toronto, Canada, in 1978 and became a certified
accountant and an auditor in Canada in1981.
Ho then returned to Macao to take over the family business,
working as the general manager of Tai Fung Bank. He quickly earned
renown as a banker.
He was elected as the first chief executive of the Macao SAR on
May 15, 1999, with the support of 82 percent of the Election
Committee. Since taking office on December 20, 1999, Ho's political
astuteness and pragmatic working style have been widely acclaimed
in Macao.
Ho and his wife Tatiana Lau have one son and one daughter.
(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2004)