Backgrounder: Chui Sai On -- winner of Macao SAR chief executive election

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Chui Sai On, who won the third-term chief executive election of the Macao Special Administrative Region  (SAR), speaks to the media, in Macao, south China,  July 26, 2009. The election was held in Macao Sunday.  (Xinhua/Wong Pun Keung)

The Chief Executive election panel of Macao Special Administrative Region has announced that Chui Sai On was the winner of the third-term chief executive election of the Macao SAR.

Chui Sai On was born in Macao in 1957. After completing his secondary education in Macao, he went to the United States and obtained his Doctorate in Public Health at the University of Oklahoma. In 1983, Chui moved back to Macao and played an active role in various local community organizations. He served as a directly-elected lawmaker on the 5th Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 1996 before the establishment of the SAR in 1999. In August 1999, Chui Sai On was appointed by the Central People's Government as the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR government, and he was re-appointed to the same position on December 4th, 2004. During his two-term stint as an SAR secretary, Macao's Historical Area was inscribed on the UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List, which was a significant boost to the city's image and tourism. In May 2009, Chui Sai On quit his office to run for the SAR's top job.