Pro-Beijing loyalist Lam chosen as new Hong Kong leader
March 26, 2017
Critics have accused the 1,194-member election committee of being heavily stacked with Beijing loyalists. Protests have coincided with the selection process, which pits establishment figures against each other.
Image: Getty Images/A. Kwan
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Hong Kong's election committee chose former government official Carrie Lam as the city's next leader on Sunday, local broadcaster Cable TV reported.
Lam, widely billed as Beijing's top pick, won with 777 votes. She will become the city's first female leader and the fourth leader since British colonial control ended in 1997.
On hearing her victory, Lam bowed to the crowd and shook hands with second-place finisher, former finance secretary John Tsang, who received 365 votes.
Pro-democracy protesters gathered near the polling site as results were counted. Many of them carried placards criticizing the electoral process as well as yellow umbrellas - the symbol of the 2014 protests. They were in turn surrounded by dozens of counter-demonstrators. Police cordoned off the area to separate the two groups.
Activists claim that the majority of the city's 7.3 million people have no say in their next leader.
Although Hong Kong's Basic Law stipulates the city should work towards universal suffrage, proposals to reform the election process have stalled since 2014, when pro-democracy protests swept across the city.
That year, Beijing agreed to allow residents to vote for the next leader. However, under the deal, the candidates would be vetted by an election committee of alleged pro-China members.
The proposal prompted mass protests called the Umbrella Movement, led by a small group of students urging authorities to implement democratic reforms.
In 2015, pro-democracy lawmakers rejected the Beijing-backed reform plan, effectively stalling the debate.
China's foreign ministry said Sunday's vote was not only relevant for the city, but also to "the central government's exercise of sovereignty and governance over Hong Kong."
Hundreds of protesters had also taken to the streets on Saturday to protests their exclusion from the electoral process for the city's chief executive.
Lam said she hoped to soothe tensions in the city, which is split by political divisions and saddled with sluggish economic growth.
"Hong Kong, our home, is suffering from quite a serious divisiveness," Lam said in a victory speech.
"My priority will be to heal the divide and to ease the frustrations and to unite our society to move forward."
Selective democracy - Hong Kong prepares to choose its leader
Hong Kong is set to elect its chief executive amid a growing anti-China sentiment. Pro-democracy activists, who have been campaigning for a public vote, have dubbed the process "farce," as it is controlled by Beijing.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
Beijing's favorite
Hong Kong's 3.8 million registered voters have no say in the election of the chief executive, who will be chosen by an election committee. Hong Kong's former deputy leader, Carrie Lam (center), is seen as Beijing's favorite for the job. Her rivals are John "Pringles" Tsang (left), and Woo Kwok-hing (right). Analysts say they are unlikely to win due to a lack of Chinese endorsement.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/V.Yu
Search for a likeable leader
Leung Chun-ying, the current chief executive, said he would not seek a second term in office after his tenure ends on June 30. He is a deeply polarizing and highly unpopular figure in Hong Kong, especially among the anti-Beijing pro-democracy activists. It's speculated that he is not running in the election because Beijing wants to replace him with a likeable leader.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Photo/V. Yu
Beijing pulls the strings
Despite mass protests against his leadership, Leung has so far refused to step down. The ruling Communist Party in Beijing has repeatedly reiterated its support for Hong Kong's embattled leader. Beijing has also stressed its right to pre-approve a small number of candidates that are allowed to appear on a ballot to elect the former British colony's next chief executive.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot/L. Tao
'One country, two systems'
Hong Kong has enjoyed a special status since its return to China in 1997. The city enjoys a relatively freer press and its denizens can engage in political activities. Politically, however, Beijing wants to keep the city's reins in its control. The Chinese authorities are critical of any pro-democracy protests, calling them "illegal" and a "threat to social peace."
Image: Reuters/Bobby Yip
Pre-selected candidates
In 2014, mass protests erupted in Hong Kong following the announcement by Chinese authorities that they would tightly control the nomination of candidates for the 2017 election. Beijing allows only pre-selected candidates to run for the election of the metropolis' leader. This means that the nomination of candidates who are critical of the central government is effectively excluded.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/V. Yu
Anti-China sentiment
Hong Kong witnessed renewed protests after Beijing expressed objections to two lawmakers who wore anti-China banners during their oath-taking ceremony in October, last year. China's top legislative body, The National People's Congress Standing Committee, called Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching's actions "a grave threat to national sovereignty and security."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K.Cheung
Rebel lawmakers
In November last year, a Hong Kong court disqualified Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching after they used anti-China insults when they were being sworn into office. The decision had been preempted by Beijing after it circumvented Hong Kong's courts to hand down its own interpretation of the Basic Law. Beijing ruled that Hong Kong legislators must swear allegiance to the region as part of China.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
Unity and authority
Analysts say that irrespective of the election outcome, pro-independence sentiments will continue to gain momentum in Hong Kong. Two years ago, massive pro-democracy rallies organized by the "Umbrella Movement" were able to shut down parts of the city for weeks. Beijing has been keeping an eye on Hong Kong's political scene, fearing that the new developments could harm its unity and authority.
Image: Reuters
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Establishment candidates
Lam has served as the deputy leader of the city-state. She is seen as loyal to China's Communist leaders, although without the polarizing persona of the current leader, Leung Chun-ying.
Her main challenger, John Tsang, is the city's former financial secretary. He is perceived as a more moderate pro-establishment figure, who has called for unity among Hong Kong residents following the pro-democracy protests.
"I hope we all remember (...) we Hong Kong people have all come together and given our most sincere blessings for a more united, a better Hong Kong," Tsang said on Friday during a rally.
The election committee's members are chosen by 246,440 voters from sectors ranging from arts and culture to real estate and agriculture. Hong Kong's 70 lawmakers automatically receive a place on the committee.