Hong Kong’s subsequent Chief Government might be Beijing loyalist John Lee

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who is the only candidate for Hong Kong's prime post, has been elected to be Hong Kong's next chief govt.

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs

John Lee, a Beijing loyalist, has been elected to be Hong Kong's next chief government.

Lee, the only candidate for Hong Kong's top post, gained 1,416 votes in Sunday's election.

About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee forged their votes to pick out the new leader. Lee only needed a easy majority to win.

The 64-year-old Lee, who was formerly Hong Kong's chief secretary, will start his five-year time period on July 1, replacing outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China which returned to Chinese language rule in 1997, after the U.Okay. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It's governed beneath the "one country, two methods" framework, and has limited election rights and a mostly separate authorized and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went through a major overhaul final yr after Beijing stated that solely so-called "patriots" needs to be allowed to govern the town.

At a press convention after his election, Lee was requested if his performance shall be "challenged by the dearth of electoral mandate and legitimacy in the eyes of some people."

His reply was that his election was "run in accordance with the legal guidelines of Hong Kong."

"Anybody, who based on the law is qualified, can take part and run for the election," he added.

Declaring that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee said: "With that variety of assist, after all, it encourages me and gives me the strong confidence that my direction is agreed and shared by a whole lot of election committee members."

John Lee, a Beijing loyalist, has been picked to be the town's next chief govt.

Bloomberg | Getty Photos

In a be aware final week, analysts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing's alternative of Lee as the subsequent Hong Kong leader.

"The collection of Lee, a profession police officer who performed a number one role within the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019, signifies that Beijing's top precedence for Hong Kong is maintaining political safety somewhat than preserving its role as a dynamic international hub," they mentioned.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a worldwide financial and enterprise middle to taking part in a narrower role as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts mentioned. "While the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly equipped to answer a serious shock."

In keeping with China's Covid-19 coverage, Hong Kong has a so-called "dynamic zero" technique for the virus and imposed strict measures in January in an attempt to blunt its spread. The town tightened restrictions further in February as new instances raged, however began easing slightly in late April.

The election was earlier postponed due to a surge in Covid instances within the Asian financial hub.

I make it a really clear point that I'm very acutely aware of the must be accessible to the world. And likewise it is an important thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume normal travel with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief govt

At the press conference, Lee was additionally asked how he will show the international community that Hong Kong is open for business.

"Yes, we have now challenges now because of the necessity to management Covid-19 and among the measures are certainly creating inconvenience," he acknowledged.

"I make it a really clear point that I'm very aware of the should be accessible to the world. And also it is a crucial thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume normal travel with the mainland."

He said he will likely be talking to his counterparts in Beijing "to find out what are the situations that will likely be required for normal travel to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally called on citizens to comply with the advice and measures of the government, and said the city will seek to boost its vaccination charge. In response to authorities statistics, greater than 91% of the inhabitants above the age of 12 have acquired their first vaccine dose as of Saturday, and 85.2% have acquired their second dose.

Hong Kong's outgoing chief govt Lam congratulated Lee on Sunday.

"I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his profitable election," she said in a press launch. "The current-term authorities and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Executive-elect. We are going to render all the help needed for the belief of office by the new time period of presidency."

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that John Lee received 1,416 votes in Hong Kong's chief executive election. An earlier model of the story misrepresented that figure.