Macao's election law amendment bill, proposed by the Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, is "an important part of the Basic Law's implementation", the SAR Chief Executive Ho Hau Wah said Monday.

The SAR government has put its proposed election law amendment bill under public consultation, and collected many public opinions on the bill over the past few months, which the government will seriously take into consideration when carrying out the relevant legislative proceedings, said Ho.

He made the remark on the sidelines of a seminar on the "understanding and implementation of the Basic Law", which was part of the events that commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Macao SAR Basic Law promulgation on Monday.

Ho pointed out that as Macao's development entered a new stage, the government and people of the SAR need to learn more of the essence of the Basic Law and "carry out our work in accordance with it", so that the "one country, two systems" policy can be smoothly implemented.

The proposed changes of the SAR's election laws include lowering voter registration age from 18 to 17, criminalizing activities of bribing election candidates, and raising the threshold for social organizations to apply for participation in the indirect election.

Ho promised that the SAR government will ensure the elections of a new chief executive and new members of the Legislative Assembly next year be carried out with fairness, transparency and efficiency.

(Xinhua News Agency, April 1, 2008)