HONG KONG: A former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on Hong Kong’s democracy movement is set to be anointed the business hub’s new leader on Sunday (May 8) by a small committee of Beijing loyalists.
John Lee, 64, was the only candidate in a Beijing-backed one-horse race to succeed outgoing leader Carrie Lam.
His elevation will place a security official in the top job for the first time after a tumultuous few years for a city battered by political unrest and debilitating pandemic controls.
Hong Kong has never been a democracy, the source of years of public frustration and protests.
Its leader is instead chosen by an “election committee” currently comprised of 1,463 people – roughly 0.02 per cent of the city’s population.
That committee, made up of political and business elites vetted for their loyalty, started voting on Sunday morning in a secret ballot that will last 2 1/2 hours. Lee needs more than 750 votes to win the election.
