Macau, July 26 (DPA) Former culture minister Ferdando Chui was elected as Macau's new leader Sunday after running unopposed in a poll of the former Portuguese colony's leading citizens.

A 300-strong election panel, formed from representatives of Macau's business and political communities, cast their ballots in the election Sunday morning, giving Chui 282 votes. Some 14 ballots were left blank, while there were no votes against Chui.

The same panel voted 286 in favour of nominating Chui as Macau's next government chief executive at a meeting last month.

That vote meant none of the other three candidates, comprising Macau's chief prosecutor, finance minister and an industrialist, who stood against Chui received the required 50 nominations for their names to appear on ballot papers.

Chui will take over as Macau's leader from Edmund Ho Dec 20 to coincide with ceremonies to mark the 10th anniversary of Macau's return to Chinese control. Ho has been chief executive since December 1999 when the former Portuguese administration handed Macau back to China.

Commenting on Chui's win, Hong Kong government chief executive Donald Tsang said: 'Hong Kong and Macau have long-standing close economic and social ties.