John Lee waves on stage after being elected at the Exhibition and Convention Centre on May 8. Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
John Lee, Hong Kong’s former hard-line secretary for security, was elected Sunday to be the city's next leader by a committee filled with Chinese government loyalists, AP reported.
Why it matters: Lee helped lead the crackdown on the city's pro-democracy protestors in 2019.
- His win is seen as a sign of the Chinese government's tightening grip on Hong Kong, the BBC reported.
The big picture: Lee was the only candidate in the election and won 1,416 votes in the election committee, while only only eight voted against him, per Reuters.
- Nearly all members of the committee are carefully vetted by the central government in Beijing, per AP. Lee will replace Hong Kong's current leader Carrie Lam on July 1.
- Lee has already indicated that he will look to introduce more national security legislation — previous iterations of which have led to the arrest of pro-democracy activists and politicians — and possibly a law against "fake news," CNN reported.
What they're saying: “Having restored order from chaos, it is high time that Hong Kong starts a new chapter of development, a chapter that will be geared toward greater prosperity for all,” Lee said in his victory speech, the New York Times reported.