Pro-Beijing former security chief elected as Hong Kong's next leader

• 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.