BEIJING: By securing 1,416 votes from the Election Committee members, the sole candidate John Lee Ka-chiu was elected as the six-term Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday.
The highly expected Chief Executive Election for Hong Kong, the first CE election since the implementation of electoral reform which aims to ensure only patriots governing Hong Kong, kicked off on Sunday as most of 1,461 Election Committee (EC) members cast their ballots at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, Global Times reported.
The overall voting process started from 9 am and concluded at 11:30 am, going smoothly and being organized in the eyes of some EC members. The central government is expected to formally appoint him as Hong Kong’s next chief executive soon.
In total, 1,428 Election Committee members cast their votes “support” or “not support” for Chief Executive Election in Hong Kong, with the overall turnout rate of 97.74 percent. 33 members did not vote.
The election on Sunday is considered the most important one for the political life in Hong Kong. Since the implementation of the electoral reform, which fundamentally changed the rules of the political game in sweeping out the anti-China figures and some backed by Western forces,
observers believe that the Hong Kong people can successfully choose an ideal person who will resolutely carry out the reforms to reshape the local governance in order to fix some deep-rooted problems in Hong Kong society.
Some political heavyweights told the media while they came to the polling station to cast their votes that they shared the high expectation for Lee and hoped that the next CE could tackle some urgent issues including fighting the epidemic in Hong Kong, reopening borders with the mainland, and fixing the housing woes.
Starry Lee Wai-king, a EC member and chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), hoped that Lee could be elected with a high number of votes, expecting him to roll out more specific measures compared to his policy platform after he is elected.
When asked whether the DAB members will join the new government, she said it’s too early to say but the DAB is happy to propose talents for the new government.
Executive Councilor Ronny Tong Ka-wah who is also a EC member told the Global Times on Sunday after he cast the ballot that Hong Kong people expect to elect a CE who can achieve the goals.
“Hopefully, the new government can overhaul the political system, improve the living environment, work on the problems of the youth and help recover the local economy,” he said.
He also believed that fixing the division in the society is a collective will of Hong Kong people, and especially after the social turmoil in 2019, local residents showed positive attitude toward fixing the division in the society:
“It’s not important which position Lee used to serve in Hong Kong, it’s important how he will tackle the most important aspects for Hong Kong’s future,” Tong said.
Lee, 64, was appointed as chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR in June 2021, which is the No.2 position after the chief executive. In July 2021, Lee was appointed as chairman of the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee for local elections.
Lee started his career as a policeman. He joined the Hong Kong Police Force in 1977 and held a variety of posts before he was appointed as undersecretary for security in September 2012. He then served as secretary for security from 2017 to 2021.
Lee’s appointment as chief secretary for administration came after the police force demonstrated professionalism and competence in the battle against a series of violent riots in Hong Kong in 2019, according to observers. –The Daily Mail-Global times news exchange item
