Former police officer and secretary for security John Lee Ka-chiu has been elected as the new Hong Kong chief executive in an uncontested election, the Hong Kong government announced on Sunday.
“The Returning Officer for the election, Mr Justice Keith Yeung Kar-hung, declared under Section 28 of the Chief Executive Election Ordinance (Cap 569) that John Lee Ka-chiu was elected as he obtained more than 750 valid “support” votes cast,” the official statement read.
The voting for the chief executive by the members of the election committee was held on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. local time, with 1,428 electoral votes cast, representing a turnout of 97.74%, the statement added. Voters were asked to indicate on the ballot whether or not they supported John Lee’s candidacy for the post.
John Lee’s candidacy was backed by the Chinese government, reportedly, for his stance in favour of Beijing, which seeks closer ties between Hong Kong and the central administration. Serving as Hong Kong Secretary for Security during the 2019 protests that has been raging across the city for over a year, John Lee, among other local officials, has been sanctioned by the United States, which accused him of “undermining Hong Kong autonomy”.
Under the Hong Kong electoral legislation, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China is elected for a five-year term by the members of 1,500-strong election committee, comprised of representatives of industrial, banking, professional, religious communities, as well as members of parliament and local organizations. The elections are carried out through anonymous voting, requiring more than 750 votes for a candidate to win.
