Former judge Sam Hou Fai was elected chief executive-designate of China's Macau, the government said on Sunday, setting him up to be the leader of the casino-dominated area next to Hong Kong.

Sam is set to become the first Macau chief executive to be born in mainland China and also the first to be fluent in Portuguese Voting for Macau's chief executive election started on Sunday morning, with former top judge Sam Hou-fai running uncontested in the poll.

Residents hope the government can take the initiative to improve the business environment, support the recovery and development of the local economy, and assist micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in difficulty,

Former Macau top judge Sam Hou-fai on Sunday won the SAR's Chief Executive election, receiving all but six votes from a 400-strong election

Former Court of Final Appeal president has support from legal sector heavyweights, but questions remain about line-up for ministerial team Macau's only chief executive candidate was a little-known figure in the gaming hub before announcing his bid for the job in August,

Macao Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng tours the polling station for the election of the special administrative region's sixth-term chief executive on Oct 12, 2024. [PHOTO/MSAR GOVERNMENT] Introducing his policy platform on Sept 28,

Sam Hou Fai was elected Sunday as the new chief executive of China's Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR), securing an overwhelming majority, according to China's state-run Xinhua News.

Sam received 394 votes out of 398 ballots cast in an election that lasted around one hour and 35 minutes on Sunday, according to a statement on the government’s website.