Although the direct legislative election results were still waiting to be verified yesterday, people could already get an idea of which 12 candidates are going to win the battle.
Yet to political analyst Eric Sautedé, the results are not the most significant, instead what caught him by surprise are the failure to improve the cleanliness of the election and the powerlessness of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC).
Candidates, as well as voters, would have appreciated a smoother electoral process and a more fair and balanced contest. But that – various analysts point out – would have required an effective Legislative Assembly Electoral Commission. Vasco Fong’s team came under heavy fire in a debate organised by Macau CLOSER and the Portuguese daily Ponto Final at Clube Militar. On the table were democracy, the lack thereof, the role of the internet in the 2009 campaign, and what Macau is missing in terms of discourse and politics.
