John Lee has been named as Hong Kong's new leader after operating uncontested
John Lee has been named Hong Kong's new chief, after a closed vote casting technique wherein he become the sole candidate.
His appointment is being extensively considered as a stream by way of the chinese government to tighten its grip on the metropolis.
known as a staunch Beijing supporter, Mr Lee oversaw the every so often violent crackdowns on professional-democracy protestors in 2019.
Mr Lee replaces outgoing chief government Carrie Lam, who had served on the grounds that 2017.
Hong Kong's leaders are chosen via a closed-circle committee of round 1,500 individuals, who're essentially all pro-Beijing loyalists - however this time there became just one contender for them to pick.
Mr Lee, who turned into the previous Chief Secretary and the city's 2nd-highest rating reliable, became at all times tipped to be the favoured substitute for Ms Lam who previous announced that she would not are searching for a second term in office.
but although Mr Lee has Beijing's backing, he's deeply unpopular for his position in overseeing the crackdown on protestors all through demonstrations over a controversial extradition bill in 2019.
Mr Lee continued to returned the bill regardless of the unrest, and came under severe criticism for sanctioning the police's use of water cannons, rubber bullets, tear gasoline and infrequently are living ammunition to disperse protestors.
In 2020, he also backed the imposition of a controversial country wide safety law which criminalised most forms of political protest and dissent, and reduced the metropolis's autonomy.
Mr Lee maintained that the legislations would assist repair "stability from chaos".
He changed into accelerated to the leadership ranks closing 12 months, in an indication, analysts stated, of Beijing's intention to focus on protection in Hong Kong.
His position within the implementation of the legislations led to US sanctions towards him and a dozen other officers, and a YouTube block on his 2022 election campaign.
The League of Social Democrats held a small protest
The League of Social Democrats - some of the best closing professional-democracy organizations - held a 3-grownup protest before polls opened, chanting "power to the americans, everyday suffrage now".
"this is what John Lee's new chapter appears like, a shrinking of our civil liberties," mentioned protester Vanessa Chan as cops looked on.
"We comprehend this action will have no effect, but we do not desire Hong Kong to be fully silent," she brought.
Hong Kong changed into surpassed back to China from Britain in 1997 beneath the agreement that rights reminiscent of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech could be assured within the territory.
besides the fact that children, critics say those rights have been increasingly eroded as Hong Kong authorities crack down on dissent in the city. Mr Lee's staunch help of Beijing's guidelines has stoked fears that his management will herald an era of tighter chinese oversight of the semi-autonomous location.
Media caption,From protests to 'patriots': Why China is bent on crushing Hong Kong dissent
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