HONG KONG, May 8, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - A former security chief who oversaw the
crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy movement is set to be anointed the
business hub's new leader on Sunday by a small committee of Beijing
loyalists.

  John Lee, 64, was the only candidate in a Beijing-backed one-horse race to
succeed outgoing leader Carrie Lam.

  His elevation will place a security official in the top job for the first
time ever after a tumultuous few years for a city battered by political
unrest and debilitating pandemic controls.

  Despite the city's mini-constitution promising universal suffrage, Hong
Kong has never been a democracy, the source of years of public frustration
and protests since the 1997 handover to China.

  Its leader is instead chosen by an "election committee" currently comprised
of 1,461 people -- roughly 0.02 percent of the city's population.

  That committee, made up of political and business elites vetted for their
loyalty, began casting their ballots Sunday morning at an exhibition centre
on the city's harbourfront.

  Lee needs to secure a simple majority, but with no rivals, his ascension is
virtually guaranteed. Results are expected later Sunday.

  - Heavy police presence -

  Protests have been largely outlawed in Hong Kong, with authorities using an
anti-coronavirus ban on public gatherings of more than four people as well as
a new national security law.

  Police ringed the exhibition centre with security, and 6,000 to 7,000
officers had been placed on standby, according to local media.

  The League of Social Democrats -- one of the only remaining pro-democracy
groups in Hong Kong -- held a three-person protest before polls opened,
chanting "Power to the people, universal suffrage now".

  "This is what John Lee's new chapter looks like, a shrinking of our civil
liberties," said protester Vanessa Chan as dozens of police officers looked
on.

  "We know this action will have no effect, but we don't want Hong Kong to be
completely silent," she added

  Under President Xi Jinping, China is remoulding Hong Kong in its own
authoritarian image after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests three
years ago.

  Beijing deployed a sweeping security law to stamp out dissent and rolled
out a new "patriots only" political system for Hong Kong to guarantee anyone
standing for office is considered suitably loyal.

  Insiders say Lee's unwavering commitment to that campaign won China's
confidence at a time when other Hong Kong elites were seen as insufficiently
loyal or competent.

  "He is a man who has stood the test," former security minister Lai Tung-
kwok recently told AFP.

  - A troubled city -

  Lee, who spent 35 years in Hong Kong's police force before joining the
government, inherits a troubled city.

  While the democracy movement has been crushed, much of the population still
resents Beijing's rule and chafes at the city's entrenched inequality.

  Hong Kong also faces economic difficulties thanks to two years of strict
pandemic curbs that have left its business hub reputation damaged and its
residents cut off as rivals re-open.

  Under the slogan "Starting a new chapter for Hong Kong together", Lee has
vowed to bring in "result-oriented" governance, forge unity and reboot the
city's economy.

  A 44-page manifesto he released last week stuck to broad goals and offered
few concrete policies or targets.

  Lee has said he will unveil more details when he makes his first policy
address.

  Hong Kong's chief executives find themselves caught between the democratic
aspirations of the city's residents and the authoritarian demands of
Beijing's leaders.

  They are rarely popular and none have managed to finish two terms in office
since the handover.

  Outgoing leader Carrie Lam is on track to leave office with record-low
approval ratings.

  According to a survey in March by the Public Opinion Research Institute,
about 24 percent of the public has confidence in Lee, compared with 12
percent for Lam.

  Lee will take office on July 1, the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's
handover to China from Britain.

  China agreed that Hong Kong could maintain certain freedoms and autonomy
for 50 years after retaking control from Britain under a "One Country, Two
Systems" formula.

  Beijing and Lee say that formula is still intact.

  Critics, including many Western powers, say it has been shredded.

  Lee is one of 11 senior Hong Kong and Beijing officials sanctioned by the
United States because of the political crackdown.