Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam recently Announced that she will not run for re-election, as the city’s political elite prepares to choose a new leader next month. “On June 30, I will complete my five-year term as CEO and formally recognized conclude my 42-year career in government,” Lam told reporters. Lam stated that China’s leaders “understood and respected” her decision not to run for re-election, adding that she informed Beijing of her intentions in March 2021. Lam stated that her “personal desire and aspiration are entirely based on family considerations.” “I have to prioritize my family members, and they believe it is time for me to return home,” she explained. Lam, a career bureaucrat, became Hong Kong’s first female leader in 2017 after being elected by the position’s small pro-Beijing committee.
Her departure brings to a close a contentious five-year term that saw Beijing tighten control in the aftermath of massive democracy protests – and a pandemic response that pushed Hong Kong into international condemnation.
Hong Kong residents are unsure who will be their next leader.
The position of the chief executive is not popularly elected, which was a key demand of democracy protests that were later crushed.
Instead, a 1,500-strong pro-Beijing committee selects the position.
The city’s next mayor will be chosen on May 8, but no one with a realistic chance has publicly thrown their hat in the ring.
Hong Kong’s number two official, John Lee, who has a brief history in the security services, has been tipped as a likely contender by the local press.
On Monday morning, Lam stated that she had not yet received any resignations from her ministers, a step that cabinet officials like Lee would need to take before running for the pro-Beijing committee.
The next mayor of the city will be chosen on May 8, but no one with a realistic chance has openly thrown their hat into the ring.
Lam also thanked Beijing for its support and trust, saying her term had been hampered by “unprecedented pressure” as a result of the 2019 protests and the Covid-19 pandemic.
