File photo of Macau leader Ho Iat Seng. | Photo credit: AP
Macau leader Ho Iat-seng said on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) that he will not seek another term in the October election, citing health reasons.
Mr Ho took office in December 2019, just weeks before Macau recorded its first coronavirus case, and his tenure has been noted for his efforts to bolster the casino hub’s pandemic-hit economy.
His administration had stressed the need to diversify the Chinese special administrative region’s casino-driven economy in line with development plans laid out by President Xi Jinping.
Mr Ho, 67, said in a statement on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) that he has “deep feelings for Macau and has done his best to develop Macau”.
He said, “But since my health has not fully recovered, and from the perspective of Macau’s long-term development and the overall situation, I have decided not to run for the sixth time in the election for chief executive.”
Mr Ho, who ran unopposed in 2019, will serve a five-year term ending in December. He thanked the central government and all regions of Macau “for their full confidence and steadfast support”.
Questions were raised about his political future after he took leave for more than a month in June.
The government announced last week that the Macau leadership race would be held on October 13.
Only 400 pro-establishment people out of the city’s population of 700,000 are eligible to vote in the election.