Beijing man elected new leader of Hong Kong

Lee will replace Carrie Lam, who has been the prime minister of Hong Kong since 2017.

He went to the polls with the slogan: “Together we open a new chapter in Hong Kong” and promised, among other things, to restart the city’s economy.

Thus 64-year-old John Lee was the only candidate and received 99 percent, or 1,416 of the total 1,461 votes, from the Beijing-friendly Election Commission that elects leaders.

Since 2020, the electoral system in the previously largely autonomous Hong Kong has been controlled by China. Only people loyal to the Communist Party have the right to hold political office.

Thousands of policemen

According to a survey conducted in March, 24 percent of Hong Kong residents trust Lee. Twelve percent said they trust Rep. Carrie Lam.

During election day, the polling station was manned by about 7,000 police officers, local media reports.

Three people from a pro-democracy party protested in front of polling stations, chanting slogans such as “Power to the people” and “Free suffrage”.

“We know our protest will have no effect, but we don’t want Hong Kong to be completely voiceless,” said Vanessa Chan, one of the protesters.

Police searched the property of the protesters, but no arrests were made.

received in july

The European Union condemns the appointment of China’s John Lee, through Foreign Minister Joseph Borrell.

In an official statement, Borrell said the union “regrets” such a violation of “the principles of democracy and political diversity.” He described this as another clear departure from the “one country, two systems” principle that would be applied between China and Hong Kong under the 1997 surrender agreement.

On Sunday, Carrie Lam congratulated the new leader and confirmed that she will provide the necessary support to make the transition as smooth as possible.

John Lee will take over the leadership on July 1.

Lee is known to have been responsible for the Hong Kong police crackdown on major democratic protests three years ago. He is described as a man who made a class journey from the working class to the upper echelons of Hong Kong.