Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam will not seek a 2nd term


Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, is not seeking a second term, she announced Monday.
Lam, who took office in 2017, has been accused of trying to play both sides between Hong Kong residents and Beijing and criticized for her handling of COVID-19. During her daily press briefing, she said her decision not to run again is due to a personal reason. "There's only one consideration and that is family," Lam said. "I have told everyone before that family is my first priority. They think it's time for me to go home."
In 1997, after being ruled by Britain, Hong Kong was transferred to China, with a guarantee of several freedoms for at least 50 years. Pro-democracy activists have since accused the government of curtailing political and individual freedoms, and Reuters writes that Lam and the other three chief executives to lead Hong Kong in the last 25 years have "all struggled to balance the democratic and liberal aspirations of many residents with the vision of China's Communist Part leadership."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Lam was the target of massive protests in 2019, with demonstrators taking to the streets to show their opposition to a controversial extradition bill. The protesters called on Lam to step down, a demand she rejected. Reuters reports that at the time, Lam told a group of business people that Hong Kong's chief executive "has to serve two masters by constitution — that is the central people's government and the people of Hong Kong. Political room for maneuvering is very, very, very limited."
Lam referred to those protests, as well as the pandemic and "nonstop interference of foreign forces," on Monday, saying that during her tenure, "I have faced unprecedented and enormous pressure."
Hong Kong is experiencing its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the start of the pandemic, and while Lam said on Saturday there must be a "compulsory, universal test" of the entire population, she did not reveal when this might happen. In early March, when the government said it planned to test everyone, there was a surge in panic buying, and Lam had to call for calm.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Pope Leo canonizes first millennial saint
Speed Read Two young Italians, Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, were elevated to sainthood
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
'Axis of upheaval': will China summit cement new world order?
Today's Big Question Xi calls on anti-US alliance to cooperate in new China-led global system – but fault lines remain
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to US
Speed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU offices
Speed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping mission
Speed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump