Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly (29 seats; 12 elected by popular
vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief executive;
members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 September 2005 (next in September 2009)
election results: percent of vote - New Democratic Macau Association
18.2%, Macau United Citizens' Association 16%, Development Union
12.8%, Macau Development Alliance 9%, others NA; seats by political
group - New Democratic Macau Association 2, Macau United Citizens'
Association 2, Development Union 2, Macau Development Alliance 1,
New Hope 1, United Forces 2, others 2; 10 seats filled by
professional and business groups; seven members appointed by chief
executive
Judicial branch:
Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region
Political parties and leaders:
Civil Service Union [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]; Development
Union [KWAN Tsui-hang]; Macau Development Alliance [Angela LEONG
On-kei]; Macau United Citizens' Association [CHAN Meng-kam]; New
Democratic Macau Association [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]; United Forces
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate),
UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (special administrative region of China)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US has no offices in Macau; US interests are monitored by the
US Consulate General in Hong Kong
Flag description:
light green with a lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water
in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one large
in center of arc and four smaller
Economy Macau
Economy - overview:
Macau's well-to-do economy has remained one of the most open in the
world since its reversion to China in 1999. Apparel exports and
tourism are mainstays of the economy. Although the territory was hit
hard by the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and the global downturn
in 2001, its economy grew 10.1% in 2002, 14.2% in 2003, and 28.6% in
2004 before slowing to 6.7% in 2005. The economic boom was powered
by gambling, tourism, and the construction necessary to support such
endeavours. China's decision to ease travel restrictions led to a
rapid rise in the number of mainland visitors. The opening of
Macau's gaming industry to foreign access in 2001 spurred an
increase in public works expenditures. The budget also returned to
surplus in 2002 because of the surge in visitors from China and a
hike in taxes on gambling profits, which generated about 70% of
government revenue. Much of Macau's textile industry may move to the
mainland due to the termination in 2005 of the Multi-Fiber
Agreement, which provided a near guarantee of export markets,
leaving the territory more dependant on gambling and trade-related
services to generate growth. The Closer Economic Partnership
Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that came into
effect on 1 January 2004 offers many Macau-made products tariff-free
access to the mainland. The range of products covered by CEPA was
expanded on 1 January 2005.