John Lee (李家超), a hardline security chief who oversaw a crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, was yesterday elected as the territory’s next leader in a vote cast by a largely pro-Beijing committee.
Lee was the only candidate and won with more than 99 percent of the vote in which nearly all 1,500 committee members were carefully vetted by the central government in Beijing.
He is to replace Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) on July 1. Her term was marked by huge pro-democracy protests calling for her resignation, a security crackdown that has quashed virtually all dissent and a COVID-19 outbreak that overwhelmed the health system — events that have undermined Hong Kong’s reputation as an international business hub with Western-style freedoms.
Photo: AFP
“I look forward to all of us starting a new chapter together, building a Hong Kong that is caring, open and vibrant, and a Hong Kong that is full of opportunities and harmony,” Lee said in his victory speech.
Lam congratulated Lee in a statement and said she would submit the election results to Beijing.
The election followed major changes to Hong Kong’s electoral laws last year to ensure that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing can hold office. The legislature was also reorganized to all but eliminate opposition voices.
The elaborate arrangements surrounding the predetermined outcome speak to Beijing’s desire for a veneer of democracy. The committee members voted in a secret ballot, and Lee’s 1,416 votes were the highest support ever for the territory’s top leadership position.
Without opposition, Lee would likely have easier time governing Hong Kong compared with Lam, said Ivan Choy (蔡子強), a senior lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Department of Government and Public Administration.
In Taipei, the Mainland Affairs Council called on Lee to “listen and respond to public opinion, respect Hong Kongers’ right to pursue democracy and refrain from violating freedom and human rights in Hong Kong.”
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
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