Macao SAR gov't thanks voters, staff working for Legislative Assembly election

MACAO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government on Sunday night expressed its gratitude for voters and staff working for the seventh Legislative Assembly election.

The election has been held successfully, in a smooth and orderly way, the SAR government said in a statement, adding that the vote took place in a lawful, fair, open and clean manner.

The election was held amid a challenging situation in Macao and neighboring cities brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, said the government.

"Not only is it necessary to ensure the election is held in a lawful and orderly way, but the event also has to be organized in strict adherence to anti-epidemic guidelines issued by the Health Bureau. In addition, on the election day, the weather is very hot with rain showers," it said.

Under such circumstances, over 100,000 voters cast their ballots on Sunday to exercise civic duty, the SAR government said, expressing its gratitude for their involvement.

The government also thanked the more than 3,000 civil servants assisting with the poll, for ensuring electoral arrangements and other related logistics.