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‘It’s time to go home,’ Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says as she reveals current term will be her last
- Chief executive says she is stepping away due to her family, which had been ‘affected’ by her long political career
- She vows to focus her remaining time in office on overseeing the leadership race, fighting Covid-19, preparing for the handover anniversary and readying the next administration
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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has revealed she will not seek re-election, leaving a legacy of a city divided and drained after a five-year tenure marred by widespread protests against her government, record pandemic fatalities and an exodus of locals and foreigners alike.
The management of both the political and health crises left Beijing exerting a greater influence over the city’s affairs, but in making her announcement on Monday, Lam refused to dwell on the past, citing family as the reason for her retirement. Her departure leaves her second-in-command John Lee Ka-chiu as the sole heavyweight tipped to contest next month’s race.
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Standing alone at a podium at government headquarters in the morning, Lam, 64, made the declaration that many had been expecting for weeks, if not months.
“I will complete my five-year term as chief executive on June 30 and officially conclude my 42-year career in government,” she said.
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Lam thanked the central authorities, her top advisers and lawmakers for their steadfast support and explained the reason she was not seeking a second term was “entirely about my family”.
“They think it is time for me to go home,” she said. “Family is the most important part of me.”
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