The Chinese territory of Macao is set to elect as leader the only candidate for which it is allowed to vote: a Beijing-backed former legislator who is expected to cement China's control over the special administrative region and distance it from escalating protests in neighboring Hong Kong.
The selection of former legislature head Ho Iat Seng is scheduled for Sunday, when he will be chosen by a 400-member pro-Beijing committee to lead the world's largest gambling hub for at least the next five years.
The 62-year-old's highly scripted appointment comes as the former Portuguese colony tries to position itself as a beacon of stability and model for the Chinese government's "one country, two systems" formula through which Beijing administers Macao and Hong Kong.