John Lee Wins CE Election With 1,416 Votes

John Lee won the Chief Executive election in Hong Kong on Sunday, garnering 1,416 votes.

The sole candidate in the election was officially declared the winner at around 12:30pm, about an hour after voting ended.

A total of 1,416 Election Committee members voted in favour of Lee, while eight voted against, for a support rate of 99 percent. Four votes were unmarked.

In a short speech following his election victory, Lee said he thanked members of the Election Committee whether they endorsed him or not, because they had supported the election by casting their ballots.

He also thanked members of the public who were present at the election venue and watching on TV, as well as members of the media.

“I thank everyone for their support and encouragement. The CE election is important to me personally, but today is also Mother’s Day, Buddha’s Birthday, and World Red Cross Day, so we can all happily welcome a historical day.”

Lee then welcomed his wife Janet and his campaign team on stage, before he presented his wife with a bouquet of flowers to mark Mother’s Day.

In a statement, Chief Executive Carrie Lam congratulated Lee on his election victory, noting the vote was conducted smoothly.

"The present-term government and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Executive-elect. We will render all the support needed for the assumption of office by the new term of government," she said.

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office called the election "a complete success".

"The election process was orderly, fair, safe, clean and with numerous highlights," it said.

The office also noted Lee received wide support, capturing more than 99 percent of the vote.

The Beijing liaison office also congratulated the former chief secretary on the election win.

It added that the vote further implemented the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", calling it a new successful practice in developing democracy with Hong Kong characteristics. (Additional reporting by Xinhua)

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