Sam Hou Fai

Sam Hou Fai (, born May 3, 1962) is a Macau politician and former judge who is currently the Chief Executive of Macau since 2024 and previously served as the 1st President of the Court of Final Appeal of Macau.

Early life and education

Sam was born on May 3, 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 Macau 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.

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. During his tenure he served as the presiding judge for Ao Man Long's corruption case.

Political career

On August 26, 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.

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. Sam received 394 out of 400 votes in the election held on 13 October, 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.

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".