Hong Kong's Carrie Lam says she will not seek second term as city leader

Hits: 1276
Hits: 1276

HONG KONG, April 4 (CNA) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Monday (Apr 4) she will not run for a second term as chief executive of the global financial hub in a leadership election due to take place on May 8.

"I will complete my five-year term as chief executive on Jun 30, and officially conclude my 42-year career in government," Lam told reporters.

"There’s only one consideration and that is family. I have told everyone before that family is my first priority in terms of my consideration. They think it’s time for me to go home," she added.

The election was pushed back from Mar 27 to give the government time to battle a COVID-19 outbreak that has infected more than a million people in the former British colony.

Lam, born in British-ruled Hong Kong in 1957 and a lifelong civil servant who describes herself as a devout Catholic, took office in 2017 with a pledge to unite a city that was growing increasingly resentful of Beijing's tightening grip.

Two years later, millions took to the streets in sometimes violent anti-government protests that ultimately led Beijing to impose a sweeping national security law in June 2020, giving it more power than ever to shape life in Hong Kong.

City leaders are selected by a small election committee stacked with Beijing loyalists so whoever becomes the next leader of the former British colony will do so with Beijing's tacit approval.

Hong Kong's chief secretary John Lee, the number two official in the city, is set to resign in order to join a race in May to become its new leader, broadcaster TVB said, citing an unidentified source.

Lee, 64, a security official during the 2019 protests, was promoted in 2021 in a move some analysts said signalled Beijing's priorities for the city related to security rather than finance or the economy.

Lee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Since Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997, it has had four chief executives, who all struggled to balance the democratic aspirations of some residents with the vision of China's Communist Party leaders.