Beijing loyalist John Lee is set to become Hong Kong's new Chief Executive as China eliminated any possible opposition in the elections for the top post.
Lee is a former security chief known for his staunch loyalty to the Chinese government. In the tightly controlled selection process, he is the only candidate running for the top post.
He is set to replace the unpopular Carrie Lam as the chief executive, Hong Kong's top job. During Lam's tenure in power, Hong Kong has witnessed aggressive pro-democracy protests in 2019. In the aftermath of this, China retaliated to suppress the dissent and passed national security law that curtailed Hong Kong's freedoms, reported New York Post.
The former Hong Kong security chief is 64 years old and was a key figure in cracking down on the protests in 2019. He was the security chief for four years before being appointed last year as chief secretary, the number two position in the government.
He also aided the Hong Kong government in ending the political opposition. He made sure that anyone who is outspoken is put behind bars or sent in exile.
Lee's intentions are one to push a package of new laws to control the dissenters. It includes laws on treason, secession, sedition, and subversion. The laws, known collectively as Article 23 for the section of Hong Kong's mini-constitution that mandates them, have long been a troublesome issue for Hong Kong's leaders.
The government tried to enact Article 23 legislation in 2003, only to retreat after hundreds of thousands of people turned out to protest.
Small protests are also seen in the streets around the convention center beside Victoria Harbor where the voting was being held. Three protesters marched nearby, carrying a sign that called for direct elections, a far cry from the huge demonstrations of a few years ago, as per the media outlet.
Polling for the sixth-term chief executive election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) began at 9 am local time (0100 GMT) on Sunday. This is the first chief executive election since the changes to the HKSAR's electoral system.
The chief executive is elected for a term of five years by the members of the Election Committee, a body that's made up mostly of pro-Beijing figures.
Last year, Beijing overhauled Hong Kong's electoral system and specified that only "patriots", that is, those loyal to the Communist Party, could run in the elections. The changes reduced the number of elective seats in the legislature, tightened rules on who could qualify, and changed the representation of the committee that picks the chief executive.
( With inputs from ANI )
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