Handbook of Legislative Procedure under Macau Parliamentary Law

By Paulo Cardinal


Published:Centre for Comparative and Public Law (CCPL), 2026
Format:Creative Commons Open Access license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, and paperback
ISBN:978-988-14542-6-3 (paperback)
978-988-14542-7-0 (PDF)
978-988-14542-8-7 (ePUB)
Language:English
Date of Publication:August 2026
Date Published Online:15 September 2026
Place of Publication:Hong Kong
Publisher:Centre for Comparative and Public Law (CCPL), Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong
Edition:First Edition
Number of Pages:350
Paperback:Available for purchase by e-mail to ccpl@hku.hk
Price:HKD 250 (Postage within Hong Kong included.)

| ABOUT THE BOOK

Handbook of Legislative Procedure under Macau Parliamentary Law is the first English language volume on Macau legislative law.

The book is essential for scholars, politicians and officials interested in researching the comparative and multilingual body of literature applicable to the development of parliamentary law in the Macau Special Administrative Region.

“This Handbook thus contributes further to the dissemination of specialised legal discourse into the legislative procedure in Macau, whilst not being remiss on its evolution and prospects for progress, as well as its entrenched position within the overarching framework defined by the applicable bloc de constitutionnalité …”— Preface

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paulo Cardinal was Chief Legal Adviser of the Legislative Assembly of the Macau Special Administrative Region, where he worked from 1992 to 2018. He has been a part-time teacher at the Faculty of Law, University of Macau, a visiting academic at the Faculty of Business and Law, University of Saint Joseph, Macau, and a former visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong.

| AVAILABLE DOCUMENT DOWNLOADS

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| TABLE OF CONTENTS

Front Matter
Coveri
Summary Table of Contentsv
Table of Contentsvii
Forewordxiii
Prefacexv
Acknowledgementsxvii
List of Abbreviationsxix
Reports issued by the Legislative Assembly’s Committeesxxi
Judicial Decisions and Judgmentsxxvii
Title Page1
PART 1 INTRODUCTION
I. Introductory Remarks5
II. Good Legislation and Well-Made Laws — An Observation13
III. The Legislative Intent19
PART 2 SOURCES OF PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE
IV. Statutory Laws and the Legislative Procedure27
V. Multitude of Sources versus Centrality of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Assembly50
PART 3 LEGISLATIVE POWER UNDER THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
VI. The Centrality of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Assembly in the Legislative Procedure89
VII. Nature, Scope, Function and Features of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Assembly102
VIII. The Legislative Initiative, In Particular127
IX. The Reserved Areas of Legislative Initiative, the Conditioned Legislative Initiative, and the Shared Area of Legislative Initiative158
X. The Acceptance of Legislative Initiatives and the Consultation and Hearings of Advisory and Collaborative Entities and Bodies169
XI. A Short Statistical Overview179
XII. The Renewal of the Legislative Initiative188
PART 4 LEGISLATIVE PROCESSES
XIII. The Common Legislative Process — Introduction and Stages205
XIV. The Common Legislative Process — The Stages of the Legislative Procedure in Macau’s Parliamentary Law209
XV. The Common Legislative Process — The Post-Procedure255
XVI. The Urgency Process257
PART 5 A FEW PRECEDING AND COMPLEMENTARY ISSUES RELATIVE TO THE LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE
XVII. The Lawmaking Impetus265
XVIII. Negative Lawmaking Impetuses and Suspensive Impetuses286
XIX. Rectification and Republication289
PART 6 RECENT DYNAMICS, DEVELOPMENTS AND REFORM
XX. The Dynamics on the Ground297
XXI. Brief Notes on Recent Developments and Parliamentary Autophagy305
XXII. Contributions to a Reform of the Legislative Procedure320
Back Matter
Bibliography329
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