Chinese Territory of Macau Chooses Ho Iat Seng as its Leader

The Chinese territory of Macau has elected former legislature head Ho Iat Seng as its leader. He secured 392 votes from a 400-member pro-Beijing committee. Ho is expected to cement Beijing’s control over the special administrative region and distance it from protests in neighbouring Hong Kong.

Ho’s highly scripted appointment comes as the former Portuguese colony tries to position itself as a beacon of stability and model for the Chinese government’s “one country, two systems” formula through which Beijing administers Macau and Hong Kong.

Although anti-government protests have roiled the former British colony of Hong Kong for nearly three months, Macau has seen little dissent to Beijing’s rule.

Ho said local youth could resist the influence of Hong Kong’s protesters and support measures to boost patriotism in Macau.