Hong Kong officially showed John Lee as its subsequent pinnacle chief after an uncontested election, solidifying an generation of greater direct Chinese political manipulate over the once-freewheeling monetary hub.
Hong Kong officially showed John Lee as its subsequent pinnacle chief after an uncontested election, solidifying an generation of greater direct Chinese political manipulate over the once-freewheeling monetary hub.
Lee, 64, received 1,416 votes from a few 1,460 electors on Sunday, in keeping with the returning officer on the election venue, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. That is greater than the easy majority had to verify his appointment. He will begin his five-12 months time period as Chief Executive on July 1, succeeding Carrie Lam, who final month introduced her choice now no longer to run.
Lee, who in advance served as leader secretary for management, the town’s No. 2 position, became the simplest candidate recommend to an election committee reformed via way of means of Beijing in 2021 to stack greater pro-established order contributors. Vote counting became finished in an hour on Sunday, with nearly 98% turnout.
Sunday’s poll became the town’s first to be held in greater than many years with out at the least a nominal contest, China’s political overhauls withinside the town final 12 months made all of it however not possible for an competition candidate to compete and the Communist Party’s endorsement of Lee rendered his victory a fait accompli.
Lee seemed to be in an awesome temper on Sunday, greeting citizens with elbow bumps or a conventional Chinese courtesy, barely bowing with each fingers clasped collectively. Election committee contributors additionally appeared relaxed, a lot of them posing for organization photos.
The preference of Lee, who served at the police pressure for greater than 3 many years earlier than becoming a member of the safety ministry, epitomizes China’s consciousness on country wide protection after a wave of huge and sometimes-violent democracy protests in 2019. Lee helped lead Lam’s crackdown at the demonstrations and put into effect a effective Beijing-drafted country wide protection regulation that’s resulted withinside the arrest of a few 182 human beings and the remaining of at the least a dozen information organizations.
Lee has reiterated Lam’s pledge to enact extra protection legislation, referred to as Article 23, which became shelved in 2003 after huge demonstrations. He has indicated he’ll retain Lam’s signature land improvement projects — Northern Metropolis and Lantau Tomorrow — as he tries to address the town’s housing crisis, an trouble that China blames for fueling public discontent.
The regulations did now no longer provoke Tik Chi-yuen, founding father of the centrist Third Side celebration and a election committee member. Tik informed journalists on Sunday that Lee’s platform appeared “empty” and fell brief of Third Side’s expectations. However, he stated he’d nevertheless forged a vote for Lee in a gesture of goodwill and display that events of various critiques can come collectively and clear up Hong Kong’s problems.
There became slightly any dissent seen withinside the town with public gatherings of greater than 4 human beings nevertheless banned because of Covid regulations and vital speech closely penalized beneathneath the National Security Law. Three activists from the League of Social Democrats protested withinside the Wanchai community earlier than being stopped approximately one block farfar from the polling venue.
Ronny Tong, a member of the Executive Council, stated that whilst the election became a one-guy display, it became essential for the general public to admire the system. He known as on Lee to shape a greater inclusive management with distinct voices, with a purpose to assist Hong Kong get over the problems it has confronted withinside the final 3 years.
Tong stated Lee must consciousness on priorities including recuperating from the Covid-19 pandemic, housing and gaining the guide of younger human beings.
“I suppose it’s very essential that we must get the whole network collectively in order that all of us have a not unusualplace aim earlier than we are able to address hard questions like political reform,” Tong stated.
Regina Ip, every other Executive Council member and pro-Beijing lawmaker, stated that Lee’s on the spot mission must be to facilitate the reopening of the town’s borders with mainland China.
“You know, our linkage with the mainland is supremely essential,” Ip informed journalists. “He have to circulate to address a whole lot of our deep-rooted problems, like land and housing shortage, our improvement of the Northern Metropolis to bolster our convergence with Mainland China.”
With the reformed electoral system, the 2022 Hong Kong Chief Executive election is predicted to emerge as the norm for the future, stated Stanley Ng, a National People’s Congress deputy and a town lawmaker.
