Beijing officials responsible for Macau affairs on Sunday offered their congratulations to the SAR's former top judge, Sam Hou-fai, on winning the

BEIJING (Reuters) - Former judge Sam Hou Fai was elected chief executive-designate of China's Macau, the government said on Sunday, setting him up to be the leader of the casino-dominated area next to Hong Kong.

Former Macanese judge Sam Hou Fai (岑浩輝), who has warned against the outsize influence of the gambling industry in the city, was elected as its new leader by a 400-member committee.

Former Court of Final Appeal president has support from legal sector heavyweights, but questions remain about line-up for ministerial team Macau's only chief executive candidate was a little-known figure in the gaming hub before announcing his bid for the job in August,

Sam received 394 votes out of 398 ballots cast in an election that lasted around one hour and 35 minutes on Sunday, according to a statement on the government’s website.

Almost the entire election committee stacked with Beijing loyalists — 394 of 398 — voted for Sam, the sole candidate, in a departure from the long-standing custom of having chief executives who were born in the former Portuguese colony,

Sam is set to become the first Macau chief executive to be born in mainland China and also the first to be fluent in Portuguese Voting for Macau's chief executive election started on Sunday morning, with former top judge Sam Hou-fai running uncontested in the poll.