Hong Kong’s next Chief Executive will likely be Beijing loyalist John Lee

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

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures

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

Lee, the one candidate for Hong Kong's high publish, gained 1,416 votes in Sunday's election.

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

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

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after the U.K. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It's governed underneath the "one country, two techniques" framework, and has limited election rights and a largely separate legal and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went through a serious overhaul last year after Beijing stated that only so-called "patriots" needs to be allowed to manipulate the city.

At a press conference after his election, Lee was asked if his efficiency can be "challenged by the dearth of electoral mandate and legitimacy in the eyes of some individuals."

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

"Anyone, who based on the legislation is certified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Mentioning that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee mentioned: "With that number of support, after all, it encourages me and offers me the robust confidence that my path is agreed and shared by a lot of election committee members."

John Lee, a Beijing loyalist, has been picked to be town's subsequent chief government.

Bloomberg | Getty Photographs

In a word last week, analysts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing's alternative of Lee as the next Hong Kong chief.

"The choice of Lee, a profession police officer who played a leading role within the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that started in 2019, signifies that Beijing's high priority for Hong Kong is sustaining political security slightly than preserving its position as a dynamic global hub," they mentioned.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a worldwide monetary and business center to enjoying a narrower position as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts said. "Whereas the risks to political and monetary stability are modest, Lee's administration may be poorly outfitted to reply to a significant shock."

According to China's Covid-19 policy, 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 additional in February as new circumstances raged, however started easing slightly in late April.

The election was earlier postponed attributable to a surge in Covid cases in the Asian monetary hub.

I make it a very clear level that I'm very acutely aware of the should be accessible to the world. And likewise it is a crucial factor for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume regular journey with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief govt

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

"Yes, now we have challenges now due to the necessity to control Covid-19 and some of the measures are indeed creating inconvenience," he acknowledged.

"I make it a very clear level that I am very acutely aware of the must be accessible to the world. And also it is a crucial thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume normal journey with the mainland."

He stated he will be speaking to his counterparts in Beijing "to search out out what are the conditions that can be required for normal journey to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally called on citizens to comply with the recommendation and measures of the government, and stated the city will search to spice up its vaccination charge. In keeping with authorities statistics, greater than 91% of the inhabitants above the age of 12 have received their first vaccine dose as of Saturday, and 85.2% have acquired their second dose.

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

"I extend my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she stated in a press release. "The current-term government and I'll guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Executive-elect. We will render all the support wanted for the assumption of workplace by the new term of presidency."

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