Hong Kong (AP) – John Lee, the strict security chief in charge of suppressing Hong Kong’s pro -democracy movement, will be elected city leader next Sunday, largely by a vote of Beijing committee.
Lee was the only candidate and won with more than 99% of the vote, of which nearly 1,500 committee members are closely monitored by the central government in Beijing.
He will replace current leader Carrie Lam on July 1st. His five terms were marked by massive pro-democracy protests calling for his resignation, a security crackdown that crushed almost all dissenting opinion. The latest wave of COVID -19 has surpassed the healthcare system – events that have damaged Hong Kong’s reputation as an international trade center with Western -style freedom.
“I look forward to starting a new self together, building Hong Kong, which is caring, open and vibrant, and Hong Kong, which is full of opportunity and unity,” Lim said in his success speech.
Lam Lee greeted him in a statement and said he would present the election results in Beijing.
The election was followed by serious changes to Hong Kong’s election laws last year to ensure that only Beijing’s loyal “patriots” could sit. There was also a reorganization of the legislature for everything except the elimination of opposition votes.
Subtle steps around the predetermined outcome indicate Beijing’s desire for a The Cover of Democracy. Committee members voted by secret ballot, and Lee’s 1,416 votes were the most support for the city’s top leadership position.
If there were no objections, Lee would probably be easier to manage Hong Kong than Lam, said Ivan Choi, a senior lecturer in the Department of Government and Public Administration at Hong Kong’s China University.
“The main reason for the simplified governance is that the electoral system has changed,” he said. “There is hardly any political opposition in the legislature and electoral commission, and the political spectrum is concentrated in the pro-establishment camp.
“Without the Democrats, it would be easier for the CEO to govern because there is less control and balance,” he said.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Lee’s election “violated democratic principles and political pluralism in Hong Kong”.
“The selection process is another step towards dismantling the principle of‘ one country, two systems ’, Borrell wrote on Twitter.
The Chinese government’s coordinating office in Hong Kong greeted Li and said the election was “fair, just and orderly, in accordance with law and regulations.”
Mainland China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Bureau said in a congratulatory message to the State Council that the “successful election” confirmed that the city’s new election system was “beautiful” and fit the picture of “one country, two system “that Hong Kong has. Manages.
Critics say the freedom of speech and assembly, which Hong Kong promised for 50 years to be maintained in 1997, was granted by Britain to China while Beijing exercised more control over the area.
On Sunday morning, three members of the League of Social Democrats, a group of local activists, protested the election and tried to march to the polls, as a banner displayed universal voting that would allow the people of Hong Kong to vote for the same legislature than the legislature. Executive.
“Human rights in power, the people are bigger than the country”, read the banner. “One person, one vote for the CEO. “Immediately use double universal voting”.
Before the police arrived, one of the demonstrators handed out leaflets and surrounded them. Police also searched the protesters’ belongings and removed their personal data, but were not immediately detained.
Hong Kong’s pro-democratic camp has long called for universal suffrage, which is said to be promised in its mini-constitution, a basic law. It was also the main request during the mass protests in 2014 and 2019.
Lee’s role as Hong Kong’s next leader has raised concerns that Beijing could strengthen its control. He has spent most of his civilian service career in police and security offices and is a staunch supporter of the National Security Act, which was enacted in Hong Kong in 2020 to address dissent.
As Security Secretary in 2019 clashes between police and protesters, he oversaw the use of tear gas and rubber bullets and arrests, preventing further protests.
More than 150 people were arrested under security law prohibiting segregation, sabotage, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces in city activities. Almost all major pro-democracy activists were arrested, while others fled abroad or remained silent.
Thousands of residents fled the city of 7.4 million people amid protests in 2019 and more severe pandemic restrictions, including many professionals and expats.
In his election campaign in the weeks before Sunday’s election, Lim vowed to enforce long -term local law to protect against security threats and vowed to increase the supply of housing in the world’s most expensive housing market.
He also said it would improve the city’s competitiveness and lay a solid foundation for Hong Kong’s development.
Source: Huffpost
