The election of the sixth-term chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was held on Sunday with John Lee declared as the winner of the election.
The 64-year-old former chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government won 1,416 votes by the Election Committee members in the first chief executive election in the HKSAR since the improvement to its electoral system in 2021.
John Lee (2nd L) attends a press conference in Hong Kong, south China, May 8, 2022. John Lee was elected as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's sixth-term chief executive designate on Sunday. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
"I will faithfully and resolutely undertake this historic mission and shoulder the great responsibility to unite and lead the 7.4 million Hong Kong residents to open a new chapter for Hong Kong," Lee said when meeting the press after the election.
He still awaits the appointment by the Central People's Government before being sworn in as the HKSAR chief executive on July 1, also the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.
PATRIOTS ADMINISTERING HONG KONG
Polling for the election ran from 9:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Members of the Election Committee cast their secret ballots on a one-person-one-vote basis at the main polling station at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The smooth running of the chief executive election marked the further implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," said Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.
John Lee communicates with a fisherman in Hong Kong, south China, May 3, 2022. John Lee was elected as the sixth-term chief executive designate of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday. (Xinhua)
In 2021, the HKSAR made systematic amendments and improvements to its electoral system according to the decisions of the NPC and the legislation of the NPC Standing Committee, and successfully held elections of the Election Committee and the seventh-term Legislative Council of the HKSAR, a solid step forward promoting the development of democracy in line with the reality of Hong Kong.
Under Hong Kong's amended electoral laws, the expanded Election Committee comprises 1,500 members from five sectors, and candidates for the office of the chief executive shall be nominated jointly by not less than 188 members of the Election Committee, among whom the number of members of each sector should not be less than 15.
Tam said such stipulations ensure that the Election Committee is widely representative and the result of the chief executive election is sound under the improved electoral system.
Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said the Election Committee fully represents the positions and interests of the growing patriotic forces of different sectors and groups.
John Lee communicates with a fisherman in Hong Kong, south China, May 3, 2022. John Lee was elected as the sixth-term chief executive designate of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday. (Xinhua)
The sixth-term chief executive election has further enhanced the unity of the patriotic forces and the implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," Lau said.
Tse Hiu-hung, a member of the Election Committee, said it is the committee's responsibility to elect a chief executive who can fully and accurately implement "one country, two systems" and lead Hong Kong toward better development.
