Ho Iat Seng was elected the fifth-term chief executive-designate of China's Macao Special Administrative Region on Sunday, pending approval by China's central government.

Read more: A guide to Macao's chief executive election

All 400 members of the CE election committee for the region's next chief executive started voting at 10:00 a.m. local time at the landmark Macao East Asian Games Dome.

Song Man Lei, president of the CE election management committee, told the 400-member election committee and media, "Mr. Ho Iat Seng gained 392 votes to be the CE-designate."

Ho, at the conclusion of the voting, told those in attendance, including voters and media personnel, that he will spare no effort to uphold the principles of "One Country, Two Systems" and "Macao people governing Macao" with "a high degree of autonomy." 

"I will unswervingly carry out my duties and governance in strict accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law to serve the people, the SAR and the country," Ho said.

Ho, born in Macao in 1957, is the former president of the Legislative Assembly and a member of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

According to the Basic Law of the Macao SAR, the chief executive is elected by a broadly representative election committee in accordance with the law, and will be appointed by the central government. The term for the chief executive of Macao is five years.

From 2004 to 2009, Ho served as a member of the Executive Council of the Macao SAR. In October 2013, he was elected president of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR and was re-elected in October 2017. He has been a deputy of China's National People's Congress (NPC) and a member of the NPC Standing Committee. 

In April 2019, Ho announced his decision to run in the elections for the next chief executive and submitted his resignation to the NPC Standing Committee, which accepted his resignation. 

Ho was accepted as candidate for the fifth-term chief executive of the Macao SAR in July by the region's chief executive election management committee. 

He was the only person who submitted a proposed bulletin before the deadline of July 25, making him the sole candidate. 

"Macao is one of the 11 cities in the Greater Bay Area, which is designed to become one of the most important and innovative economic and technological development centers in the world," said Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, adding that its faithful trust to the central government will help it thrive.

Back in February, Beijing unveiled a blueprint for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to which it is "a fresh practice to promote the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle." The initiative, first proposed in China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), ties the Macao SAR, Hong Kong SAR, and nine cities in Guangzhou Province further together.

Although designed to be a global tourism and leisure resort and a business platform for China and the world, challenges lie ahead as well.

Macao needs to "reduce its dependency on casino revenue" when it comes to further economic development, Professor Jiang Shixue with the City University of Macao told CGTN.

"Macao will have a lot of roles to play, not only for itself but also for Portuguese-speaking countries and other regions in the world," Gao said.

China's State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office has congratulated Ho for being elected Macao's chief executive-designate Sunday. 

Yang Guang, spokesperson for the office said the election was held in accordance with the Basic Law and other related laws of the Macao Special Administrative Region, fully embodying the principles of openness, fairness and equality. 

Ho is up to the central government's standard for the position, as he loves the country and Macao and is trusted by the central government, capable of governing the SAR and supported by the people of Macao, he said. 

The spokesperson said the central government will, in accordance with the law, carry out the process of appointment after receiving the formal report of the election delivered by the Macao SAR government.

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR also delivered its congratulations, expressing the confidence in Ho to unite the people of Macao and lead his new administration to work in concert to build a better Macao. 

The people of Macao have actively participated in the election and exercised their democratic rights in accordance with the law, the office said, while vowing to continue the discharge of its duties as authorized by the central government, and fully support the Macao SAR government and the chief executive to exercise law-based governance.

The incumbent chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region Fernando Chui Sai-on on Sunday also extended his sincere congratulations.

Chui said he believes that the new designate will lead the new administration and the people of Macao on the faithful and accurate implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle and scale new heights in the development for the Macao SAR.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam congratulated Ho Iat Seng on his election as the fifth-term chief executive-designate of the Macao SAR on Sunday. 

With Ho's devotion to social services and wealth of experience in public offices, he will certainly lead Macao to scale new heights, said Lam. 

Lam added that both Hong Kong and Macao enjoy the advantages of "One Country, Two Systems". The two places have close ties and have fostered deep bonds between the people. The opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge last year has remarkably shortened the distance between the two regions. 

"Playing important roles in the country's reform and opening-up, Hong Kong and Macao as core cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development can complement each other, contributing to the bay area and bringing about better life for the people in the two places," she said. 

Lam also stated that she looks forward to working closely with Ho to advance the development of both places. 

(With input from Xinhua)