Hong Kong: After Carrie Lam declines second term, pro-Beijing no. 2 resigns with eye on top spot

Hong Kong: After Carrie Lam declines second term, pro-Beijing no. 2 resigns with eye on top spot

After Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced she would not seek a second term, local media says that her No. 2 John Lee is likely to enter the race to succeed her. Chief Secretary Lee was the city's head of security during the protests

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Wednesday, April 06, 2022, 02:19 PM IST
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Hong Kong's Chief Secretary John Lee, attends a reception, following the flag-raising ceremony for the celebration of China's National Day, in Hong Kong, on Oct. 1, 2021 | AP

Hong Kong's No. 2 official and a staunch supporter of a Beijing-backed crackdown on pro-democracy activists tendered his resignation on Wednesday amid expectation that he would announce his intention to run for the top job in the semi-autonomous territory.

John Lee, who is the city's chief secretary for administration, submitted his resignation to Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam, according to a government statement.

Lam said Monday that she would not seek a second term as chief executive, following a rocky five years punctuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a crackdown on political freedoms and Beijing's growing influence over the territory.

Local media, including the leading South China Morning Post, reported that Lee will be the sole candidate to be endorsed by the Chinese government in Hong Kong's leadership race.

He is expected to announce his candidacy when his resignation is approved by the central authorities later Wednesday.

The city's next leader will be selected on May 8 by a committee of about 1,500 people, a majority of whom are pro-Beijing.

Lee, a former career police officer, was named chief secretary in June and previously served as Lam's secretary for security.

He was a staunch supporter of a police crackdown against protesters during several months of massive anti-government protests in 2019.

On Tuesday, Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam announced she would not seek a second term in office after a controversial tenure that has seen many of the territory's civil freedoms eroded.

As chief executive, Ms Lam oversaw a turbulent period where massive pro-democracy protests led to greater Chinese control in Hong Kong.

Ms Lam, 64, was Beijing's handpicked choice entering office in 2017.

On Monday, she told reporters Beijing had been receptive to her decision.

She also revealed she had informed China about her desire to not seek a second term a year ago, despite refusing in recent times to answer questions about her political future.

Ms Lam said she was stepping back and prioritising her family.

"There's only one consideration and that is family... They think it's time for me to go home," she said.

Bloomberg reported that Lee will be the only candidate in the May 8 election for the city’s top post, local media reported, as China looked to elevate one of the chief proponents of the sweeping crackdown on the local opposition.

China’s Liaison Office told local elites in a series of meetings Wednesday that Lee, 64, had the central government’s blessing to become chief executive, media including the South China Morning Post newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

He was expected to resign Wednesday, a necessary step for any official seeking higher office. Lee’s solitary run in the May 8 vote, when 1,500 mostly Beijing loyalists pick the next leader of the Asian financial hub, would mark the first time in two decades that a candidate has run unopposed.

The former career police officer emerged as a potential candidate in June when he was named chief secretary, a post that’s launched two of the city’s four leaders into the top job. Prior to that, Lee served as outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s security minister, overseeing a clampdown on the pro-democracy opposition and implementing a Beijing-drafted national security law.

After the protests were snuffed out, Lee threw his support behind the national security law, which Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 as a means to target target pro-democracy activists and supporters.

More than 150 people have been arrested under the law, which outlaws subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces in the city's affairs.

(with inputs from AP)

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