EXPLAINER: What comes following accompanied by John Lee leading Hong Kong?
HONG KONG (AP) — There was little uncertainty over John Lee's election while Hong Kong's following leader executive.
A career police officer with every one other accompanied by the city's safety leader received over 99% of the ballot from an election committee stacked accompanied by mostly pro-Beijing members. He was the sole candidate inside Sunday's election.
On July 1, the anniversary of Hong Kong's 1997 handover from Britain to China, Lee will lay clasp of jurisdiction of the semi-autonomous territory from Carrie Lam. She leaves following five tumultuous years that spanned pro-democracy protests inside 2019, a subsequent crackdown that snuffed not here in effect all dissent, with every one other accompanied by Hong Kong's worst coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 9,000 people this year.
A BEIJING LOYALIST
Lee, 64, spent additional than trio decades of his secular work career inside the police strength earlier to he was appointed undersecretary of Hong Kong's safety bureau inside 2012. He was promoted to safety minister inside 2017 inside Lam's government. He was a answer figure inside pushing for a proposed extradition invoice inside 2019 that would've sent Hong Kong suspects to mainland China, where courts operate under the ruling Communist Party.
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EXPLAINER: What comes following accompanied by John Lee leading Hong Kong?
Beijing loyalist John Lee elected while Hong Kong's following leader
But the invoice sparked massive anti-government protests over fears that Beijing was encroaching on Hong Kong's autonomy, with every one other accompanied by in a short time morphed into calls for wider democratic rights, including general suffrage. The management backtracked on the bill, nevertheless under Lee, police unleashed a heavy response that included the use of tear gasoline with every one other accompanied by rubber bullets opposed to protesters while well while pile arrests.
The following year, inside 2020, Beijing imposed a sweeping national safety rules and regulations on Hong Kong, accompanied by Lee while its main supporter with every one other accompanied by enforcer. The law, which outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism with every one other accompanied by collusion accompanied by overseas forces inside the city's affairs, was used to understandable streets of protesters, silence management opponents with every one other accompanied by crack down on freewheeling media.
The same year, Lee with every one other accompanied by other Chinese while well while Hong Kong officials including Lam were sanctioned by the U.S. "for actuality associated accompanied by inside coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning individuals under the power of the National Security Law, while well while actuality associated accompanied by inside its development, adoption, or implementation."
In June 2021, Lee was promoted to leader secretary for administration, effectively becoming the No. 2 official inside Hong Kong.
He resigned from his pole inside April to stand for the leadership polls. During his election campaign, YouTube terminated Lee's strait inside compliance accompanied by U.S. sanctions — a go that Lee described while "bullying" with every one other accompanied by "unreasonable."
PROMISES OF TOUGHER SECURITY
Experts have said that Beijing's endorsement of Lee signals the centre management is looking for someone reliable to build sure that its power inside Hong Kong is never questioned again.
The city was promised freedoms not found inside mainland China when the British handed it over inside 1997. But such Western-style liberties, including the freedom of press with every one other accompanied by assembly, have been solemnly eroded accompanied by the implementation of the national safety law. Over 150 people, most of them pro-democracy supporters, have been arrested with every one other accompanied by numerous others fled overseas or retain quiet.
Lee has too pledged to enact a local legislation to retain protected from danger opposed to safety threats, known while Article 23 of Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law. Previous attempts to go the invoice have failed since of strong local opposition. Article 23 stipulates that the city shall enact its own laws to prohibit "any take deed of treason, secession, sedition, subversion opposed to the Central People's Government," while well while "theft of condition secrets."
HOW DID ELECTION PROCESS CHANGE?
This year's ballot for Hong Kong's leader administrative is the earliest since the electoral system was changed last year to build sure that only "patriots" are allowed to sprint for office.
The crackdown on dissent, coupled accompanied by the electoral reform, all nevertheless remove pro-democracy candidates for the legislature or the top post. Under the new system, candidates must exist vetted by a committee that determines if they are suitable or patriotic enough.
Under the new electoral rules, Lee was the only candidate who received backing by Beijing. Several people, including a movie producer, had expressed attentiveness inside running nevertheless did not give in their names throughout the nomination process.
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