The only candidate John Lee was elected to be the chief executive of the Hong Kong special zone

The future Chief Executive of Hong Kong John Lee took a photo with his wife after announcing the results – Photo: REUTERS

“I declare that the only candidate, Mr. John Lee, has been elected in the vote. Congratulations,” Mr. Keith Yeung Kar was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post.

Mr. Lee received 1,416 out of 1,424 votes, or 99.4% of the vote. There are no invalid votes.

After the announcement, he bowed to applause and gave a short speech thanking the Election Commission.

“Support me or not, I thank everyone who supported the election of chief executive. Today is an important day. It’s not just election day but Mother’s Day, Smile day. The world. We can all laugh together on this historic day,” said the future chief executive of Hong Kong.

In the following press conference, Mr. John Lee emphasized his commitment to protect Hong Kong and continue to implement the “one country, two systems” model with China. He promised to create a government that could effectively solve problems and invite talented people to participate.

When asked about his top priority when he came to power, he said he would focus on housing issues and promote integration with mainland China. He will follow a results-based approach to solving current problems.

Incumbent Chief Executive Carrie Lam congratulated Mr. John Lee and said he would send the election results to the Chinese central government. She also pledged to ensure a smooth transition of power and support the new administration.

From 9 a.m. on May 8, local time, 1,461 members of the Hong Kong Election Commission voted to elect a new chief executive for the next five years. Mr. John Lee, the former secretary-general of the Hong Kong government and previously the chief security officer of the special zone, is the only candidate.

Just three minutes after counting the votes, he had gathered the 750 necessary votes to win. Since there is only one candidate, the members of the Electoral Commission only need to vote “for” or “not for”.

Security was tight on election day. Officers from level 1, level 2 and anti-terrorism task force including airport special police team, railway response force… were deployed to ensure the voting process and counting votes. out safe and smooth.

On election day, 6,000-7,000 police were mobilized to participate in the work of ensuring security and order.

Hong Kong elects a chief executive every five years. This year’s vote was originally scheduled for March 27, but was postponed to May 8 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.