John Lee, a Beijing loyalist, has been elected as Hong Kong's next Chief Executive.
Lee, the only candidate for Hong Kong's top post, won more than 1,300 votes. He was able to get more than the required number of votes.
About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee cast their votes to pick a new chief executive. There was a surge in Covid cases in the Chinese city and the election was postponed.
Lee will be the new Chief Executive when he takes over on July 1.
I will submit a report of the election result to the Central People's Government later today, and I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. John Lee on his successful election, I said on Sunday.
The present-term government and I will make sure a smooth transition with the Chief Executive-elect. The support needed for the assumption of office will be rendered by the new term of government, according to a government press release.
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. The city has limited election rights and a separate legal and economic system.
The selection of Lee, a career police officer who played a leading role in the suppression of the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019, indicates that Beijing's top priority for Hong Kong is maintaining political security rather than preserving its role as a dynamic global.
Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a global financial and business center to being a capital gateway for China.
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