People queue to cast their ballots at a polling station in Macao, south China, Sept. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

MACAO, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The election for the eighth Legislative Assembly of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) commenced on Sunday morning.

Voting started at 9:00 a.m. and is scheduled to conclude at 9:00 p.m. local time. The preliminary results are expected to come out early Monday morning.

The eighth legislature will comprise 33 seats, with 14 members to be elected by direct vote, 12 by indirect means, and seven others appointed by the chief executive of the Macao SAR within 15 days of receiving the final election results.

This year's election has 37 polling locations, with a total of 38 direct election polling stations and 5 indirect election polling stations.

The Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR is the region's legislative body, and its members are permanent residents of the SAR. Except for the first term, which was stipulated otherwise, each term lasts four years.

In 2024, the Macao SAR amended its Legislative Assembly Election Law, improving the candidate qualification review process to further implement the principle of "patriots administering Macao" within the legal framework, while also refining stages of the election process to ensure that the election is conducted in a fair, just, clean, and orderly manner. ■

People queue at a polling station in Macao, south China, Sept. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)