Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announces her decision not to seek a second term during a news conference in the city, April 4, 2022. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The central government has decided not to appoint a replacement chief secretary until the next chief executive assumes office, given that the current administration’s term will end in less than three months.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor made the announcement on Thursday. The decision means the special administrative region’s No 2 position will remain vacant until July 1.
John Lee Ka-chiu resigned as the chief secretary last week to run in next month’s election for chief executive.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam said some of the chief secretary’s responsibilities will be assumed by other top officials, and she has appointed Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po to head the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee in the chief executive election
Lam added that some of the chief secretary’s responsibilities will be assumed by other top officials, and she has appointed Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po to head the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee in the chief executive election.
The position of CERC chairperson became vacant on April 7 when the State Council accepted Lee’s resignation. The CERC is responsible for assessing and validating the eligibility of candidates in the Election Committee, chief executive and Legislative Council elections.
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At her daily media briefing, Lam described the central government’s decision as unusual, but said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government can operate without a chief secretary.
“Normally we would have an acting (chief secretary) arrangement, even when I step out to go on a trip for a few days. But having consulted the central government, it believed it would be an appropriate arrangement not to have an acting chief secretary, which I do not oppose,” she said.
“One of the considerations, I believe, is that the current chief executive has been chief secretary for four and a half years, and seems to be able to cope,” Lam added.
The chief executive also appointed Education Secretary Kevin Yeung Yun-hung as a CERC official member, filling in for Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, who resigned as home affairs secretary in January. Tsui had been an official member of the CERC.
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The State Council removed Tsui from the post of secretary for home affairs on Feb 24.
Meanwhile, Justice Keith Yeung Kar-hung, the Returning Officer handling the nominations for chief executive, received a total of one nomination form, that of Lee, before the deadline lapsed at 5 pm on Thursday, according to a government statement on Thursday evening.
The CERC will, within seven days after the close of nominations, publish in the Gazette a notice on the validity of the nomination, it added.
The notice will carry the names of the validly nominated candidate and the names of the Election Committee members nominating the candidate. The Electoral Affairs Commission will hold an online briefing for the candidate and his electioneering team.
Wang Zhan contributed to this report.