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

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

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs

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

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

About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee cast their votes to select the new chief. 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 Government Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after the U.Ok. handed over the previous colony to Beijing. It is governed below the "one country, two programs" framework, and has restricted election rights and a largely separate legal and economic system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went through a serious overhaul final year after Beijing mentioned that solely so-called "patriots" must be allowed to manipulate the town.

At a press conference after his election, Lee was requested if his performance can be "challenged by the lack 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 in line with the legislation is certified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Declaring that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee stated: "With that number of support, in fact, it encourages me and gives me the sturdy confidence that my route is agreed and shared by lots 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 observe final week, analysts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing's selection of Lee as the subsequent Hong Kong chief.

"The number of Lee, a career police officer who performed a number one role within the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019, signifies that Beijing's high precedence for Hong Kong is maintaining political security rather than preserving its role as a dynamic global hub," they stated.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a world monetary and enterprise heart to playing a narrower role as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts said. "While the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration may be poorly equipped to answer a serious shock."

Consistent with China's Covid-19 coverage, Hong Kong has a so-called "dynamic zero" strategy for the virus and imposed strict measures in January in an try to blunt its spread. The city tightened restrictions additional in February as new instances raged, but started easing slightly in late April.

The election was earlier postponed as a consequence of a surge in Covid instances in the Asian monetary hub.

I make it a very clear point that I am very conscious of the should be accessible to the world. And in addition it is a crucial thing for Hong Kong to be able to resume normal journey with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief govt

At the press convention, Lee was also asked how he'll show the international group that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

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

"I make it a very clear point that I'm very conscious of the need to be accessible to the world. And also it is an important factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume normal journey with the mainland."

He said he will likely be speaking to his counterparts in Beijing "to seek out out what are the situations that will probably be required for regular journey to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee also known as on residents to comply with the recommendation and measures of the federal government, and stated the city will search to spice up its vaccination fee. In response to government statistics, more than 91% of the inhabitants above the age of 12 have obtained their first vaccine dose as of Saturday, and 85.2% have received 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 release. "The current-term authorities and I'll ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Government-elect. We will render all the assist wanted for the belief of workplace by the new term of government."

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