Hong Kong has formally endorsed John Lee as its next governor, ushering in an era of more direct Chinese political control.
According to Bloomberg, 64-year-old John Lee won 1,416 votes out of about 1,460 voters on Sunday, while eight voted against him, according to the polling station at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. The count was completed in less than an hour, with almost 98% participation.
Lee, who previously served as chief executive officer, the second-highest-ranking official, will begin his five-year term as head of government on July 1, succeeding Carrie Lam. He was the only candidate nominated to an electoral commission formed by Beijing in 2021.
Sunday’s vote was the first in the city to take place in more than two decades without at least a roll-call vote. China’s political changes in the city last year made it almost impossible for an opposition candidate to run, and the Communist Party’s support for Li made his victory complete.
“I will ensure a smooth transition,” said Lam, who last month announced her decision not to run for a second term. “We will provide all the support needed for the new government to take office.”
Li appeared cheerful on Sunday, greeting voters with his elbows or a traditional Chinese salute, bowing slightly with both hands clasped. The members of the supervisory committee also looked relaxed, many of them posing for group photos.
The selection of Li, who served in the police force for more than three decades before joining the Ministry of Security, is the epitome of China’s focus on national security following a wave of mass and sometimes violent protests in 2019. Li helped lead suppress protests by Lam and enforce a tough national security law drafted by Beijing that has resulted in the arrest of about 182 people and the closure of at least a dozen news outlets.
“In Li’s person, Beijing acquires an ‘appointed body of power’, which has risen through the ranks of a police force and an administration overseeing the transformation of one of the freest cities in the world into one of the most oppressed.” said Samuel Chu, founder and chairman of The Campaign for Hong Kong based in Washington.
Source: Capital
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