Sam was born in May 1962 in China and raised in Zhongshan. After entering university in 1978 he entered law school in 1981 and earned his bachelor's degree in law from Peking University in Mainland China. After practicing law in China he moved to Macau in 1986, studied at the University of Coimbra and joined the Public Prosecutions Office of Macau in 1995. Sam, alongside important Macanese officials born in Mainland China, including Wong Sio Chak and Cheong Weng Chon, are widely deemed among the 13 officials handpicked by Beijing to be nurtured to become the future governing team for the city.[4]
Legal career
In 1997, Sam became a judge at the Court of First Instance and was later elected as member of the Council of Justice.[2]
On 20 December 1999, he was appointed by the Chief Executive as the President of the Court of Final Appeal. He also holds the positions of President of the Council of the Judicial Magistrates, Member of the Independent Commission on the Recommendation of Judges, Member of the Working Committee on Regional Legal Assistance and International Mutual Legal Assistance and Honorable Chairman of the Macao Basic Law Promotional Association.[5] During his tenure he served as the presiding judge for Ao Man Long's corruption case.
Political career
Sam Hou Fai declares his candidacy, August 28, 2024
On 26 August 2024, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng announced Sam's resignation as President of the Court of Final Appeal and his intent to run in the 2024 Chief Executive election.[3] He officially announced his intention to run on 28 August 2024.[6]
Sam secured 386 out of 400 nominations from the Electoral Committee before deadline on 12 September, accounting for 96.5% of its members, making him the sole candidate of the chief executive election.[7][8] Sam received 394 out of 400 votes in the election held on 13 October,[9] making him the first chief executive of Macau to be born in Mainland China and without business background.
Political views
Economic policy
Sam warned against the dominant role the gaming centres play in Macau's economy, saying that "for a period of time, the tourism and gaming industry developed in a disorderly manner and expanded wildly". He said growth of casinos had strained resources such as manpower and narrowed the career choices for young people, and called for diversifying away from the industry.[10]
Sam promised to support long-term development of local business, and stressed that integrating into the national development "is the most important policy for Macau’s future development".[11]
