If elected, Sam Hou-fai, the former president of Macau’s Court of Final Appeal, will be the first chief executive to speak Portuguese, one of the city’s official languages, and the first to be born in mainland China – a connection shared by many local residents.
Sam, who had led the top court since the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1999, has received support from legal sector heavyweights, but observers have said it remains to be seen whether he can assemble a capable ministerial team to make up for his lack of experience outside the judiciary.
The mainland-born judicial official will be the only name appearing on the ballot when the city’s 400-strong election committee casts its votes for the successor of Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng on Sunday.
Sam, Secretary for Administration and Justice Cheong Weng-chon and Secretary for Security Wong Sio-chak are among a number of officials who were born on the mainland before moving to Macau and rising up the ranks of the local civil service.
Sam has said he first settled in the city’s Iao Hon neighbourhood in 1986 and studied law in Portugal in the 1990s, where he learned to appreciate fine wine. He left his old home in 1999 to move into an official residence after becoming the top judge.
