HONG KONG (AP) \u2014 John Lee, a hard-line security chief who oversaw a crackdown on Hong Kong\u2019s pro-democracy movement, was elected as the city\u2019s next leader on Sunday in a vote cast by a largely pro-Beijing committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee was the only candidate and won with over 99% of the vote in which nearly all 1,500 committee members were carefully vetted by the central government in Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He will replace current leader\u00a0Carrie Lam\u00a0on July 1. Her five-term was marked by huge pro-democracy protests calling for her resignation, a security crackdown that has quashed virtually all dissent,\u00a0the recent COVID-19 wave\u00a0that had overwhelmed the health system \u2014 events that have\u00a0undermined Hong Kong\u2019s reputation\u00a0as an international business hub with Western-style freedoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI look forward to all of us starting a new chapter together, building a Hong Kong that is caring, open and vibrant, and a Hong Kong that is full of opportunities and harmony,\u201d Lee said in his victory speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lam congratulated Lee in a statement and said she would submit the election results to Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The election followed major changes to\u00a0Hong Kong\u2019s electoral laws\u00a0last year to ensure that only \u201cpatriots\u201d loyal to Beijing can hold office. The legislature was also reorganized to all but eliminate opposition voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The elaborate arrangements surrounding the predetermined outcome speak to Beijing\u2019s desire for a\u00a0veneer of democracy. The committee members voted in a secret ballot, and Lee\u2019s 1,416 votes were the highest support ever for the city\u2019s top leadership position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without opposition, Lee would likely have easier time governing Hong Kong compared to Lam, said Ivan Choy, a senior lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong\u2019s Department of Government and Public Administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA major reason for easier governance is that the electoral system has changed,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the legislature and the election committee, there is almost no political opposition and the political spectrum is concentrated towards the pro-establishment camp.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith no democrats, it will be easier for the chief executive to govern as there are fewer checks and balances,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The European Union\u2019s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Lee\u2019s election \u201cviolates democratic principles and political pluralism in Hong Kong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSelection process is yet another step in the dismantling of the \u2018one country, two systems\u2019 principle,\u201d Borrell tweeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Chinese government\u2019s liaison office in Hong Kong congratulated Lee and said the election was conducted in a \u201cfair, just and orderly manner in accordance with laws and regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mainland China\u2019s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said in its congratulatory note that the \u201csuccessful election\u201d proved that the city\u2019s new electoral system is \u201cgood\u201d and in line with the \u201cone country, two systems\u201d framework that Hong Kong is governed by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critics say freedom of speech and assembly that Hong Kong was promised to keep for 50 years when it was handed over by Britain to China in 1997 has vanished as Beijing exerts greater control over the territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sunday morning, three members of the League of Social Democrats, a local activist group, protested the election by attempting to march toward the election venue while displaying a banner demanding universal suffrage that would allow Hong Kongers to vote both for the legislature and the chief executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHuman rights over power, the people are greater than the country,\u201d the banner read. \u201cOne person, one vote for the chief executive. Immediately implement dual universal suffrage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One protester was handing out flyers before police arrived and cordoned them off. Police also searched the protesters\u2019 belongings and took down their personal details, though they made no immediate arrests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong has long demanded universal suffrage, which they say is promised in its mini-constitution, the Basic Law. It was also a key demand during massive protests in 2014 and 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee\u2019s role as Hong Kong\u2019s next leader has sparked concern that Beijing could further tighten its grip. He spent most of his civil service career in the police and security bureau, and is a staunch supporter of a national security law imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 to stamp out dissent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As security secretary during 2019 clashes between police and demonstrators, he oversaw the use of tear gas and rubber bullets and arrests that snuffed out further protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 150 people have been arrested under the security law, which outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces in the city\u2019s affairs. Almost all prominent pro-democracy activists have been jailed, with others fleeing abroad or being intimidated into silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thousands of residents have left the city of 7.4 million people amid the 2019 protests and subsequent harsh pandemic restrictions, including many professionals and expatriates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his election campaign in the weeks leading up to Sunday\u2019s polls, Lee pledged to enact long-shelved local legislation to protect against security threats and vowed to increase housing supply in the world\u2019s most expensive real estate market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also said he would improve the city\u2019s competitiveness and set a firm foundation for Hong Kong\u2019s development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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