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A former safety chief who oversaw the crackdown on Hong Kong’s democracy motion was anointed the enterprise hub’s new chief on Sunday by a small committee of Beijing loyalists.
John Lee, 64, was the one candidate in a Beijing-backed one-horse race to succeed outgoing chief Carrie Lam.
His elevation locations a safety official within the prime job for the primary time after a tumultuous few years for a metropolis battered by political unrest and debilitating pandemic controls.
Regardless of town’s mini-constitution promising common suffrage, Hong Kong has by no means been a democracy, the supply of years of public frustration and protests because the 1997 handover to China.
Its chief is as a substitute chosen by an “election committee” presently comprised of 1,461 folks — roughly 0.02 p.c of town’s inhabitants.
After a short secret poll on Sunday, 1,416 members voted for Lee whereas eight voted in opposition to in response to officers. The remainder didn’t solid ballots.
“I declare that the one candidate Mr John Lee Ka-chiu is returned within the above talked about election, congratulations,” returning officer Justice Keith Yeung Kar-hung, introduced.
Heavy police presence -Protests have been largely outlawed in Hong Kong, with authorities utilizing an anti-coronavirus ban on public gatherings of greater than 4 folks in addition to a brand new nationwide safety legislation.
Police ringed the exhibition centre with safety, and 6,000 to 7,000 officers had been positioned on standby, in response to native media.
The League of Social Democrats — one of many solely remaining pro-democracy teams — held a three-person protest earlier than polls opened, chanting “Energy to the folks, common suffrage now”.
“That is what John Lee’s new chapter seems like, a shrinking of our civil liberties,” mentioned protester Vanessa Chan as dozens of cops regarded on.
“We all know this motion can have no impact, however we don’t need Hong Kong to be utterly silent,” she added.
Underneath President Xi Jinping, China is remoulding Hong Kong in its personal authoritarian picture after big and typically violent democracy protests three years in the past.
Beijing deployed a sweeping safety legislation to stamp out dissent and rolled out a brand new “patriots solely” political system for Hong Kong to ensure anybody standing for workplace is taken into account suitably loyal.
– A troubled metropolis -Whereas the democracy motion has been crushed, a lot of the inhabitants nonetheless resents Beijing’s rule and chafes on the metropolis’s entrenched inequality.
Hong Kong additionally faces financial difficulties thanks to 2 years of strict pandemic curbs which have broken its enterprise hub status and left residents minimize off as rivals re-open.
Underneath the slogan “Beginning a brand new chapter for Hong Kong collectively”, Lee has vowed to usher in “result-oriented” governance, forge unity and reboot town’s economic system.
A 44-page manifesto he launched final week caught to broad objectives and provided few concrete insurance policies or targets.
Lee has mentioned he’ll unveil extra particulars when he makes his first coverage tackle.
Hong Kong’s chief executives discover themselves caught between the democratic aspirations of town’s residents and the authoritarian calls for of Beijing’s leaders.
Outgoing chief Carrie Lam is on monitor to go away workplace with record-low approval scores.
In response to a survey in March by the Public Opinion Analysis Institute, about 24 p.c of the general public has confidence in Lee, in contrast with 12 p.c for Lam.
Ready in a line exterior a restaurant on Sunday, 25-year-old resident Alex Tam mentioned he and his buddies had been paying little consideration to proceedings.
“It’s simply an empty gesture,” he informed AFP. “If he didn’t hearken to the protesters, I don’t see how he would hearken to younger folks now, particularly those that criticise the federal government.”
Retired businessman Yeung wing-shun was extra optimistic saying he hoped Lee will information Hong Kong with a “agency hand”, including that he believed the brand new chief might carry totally different sectors collectively.
Lee will take workplace on July 1, the twenty fifth anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China from Britain.
China agreed that Hong Kong might preserve sure freedoms and autonomy for 50 years after retaking management from Britain below a “One Nation, Two Techniques” components.
Beijing and Lee say that components remains to be intact.
Critics, together with many Western powers, say it has been shredded.
Lee is one in every of 11 senior Hong Kong and Beijing officers sanctioned by the USA due to the political crackdown.
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