Tung Chee-hwa yesterday urged his allies and enemies to bury their differences and work together for a better Hong Kong after being re-elected unopposed for a second five-year term.
He also vowed to respond to the challenge of reviving the ailing economy and improving his administration's performance.
Beijing leaders, who have expressed concern about delays in decision-making in the SAR, congratulated Mr Tung and predicted he would improve his performance in his second term.
In his election office in Central, Mr Tung watched on TV as the returning officer, Mr Justice Pang Kin-kee, declared him the winner after the close of the two-week nomination period at 5pm.
Mr Tung secured 714 of the 796 Election Committee members as nominators for his candidacy, ruling out any other possible challengers gaining the 100 names needed to be nominated.
In a brief post-victory speech, Mr Tung thanked the Election Committee members and the people of Hong Kong for putting their trust in him.