Hong Kong’s Lee least popular new leader in decade, poll says

Bloomberg

Hong Kong’s John Lee drew the lowest approval rating in a decade for a new chief executive, underscoring the challenges he’ll face winning over a city that’s facing some of the world’s strictest Covid restrictions.
The percentage of people expressing confidence in Lee, who took over as Hong Kong’s fifth chief executive last month, was 45%, according to a poll released by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute on Tuesday. That’s below the 52% that his predecessor Carrie Lam started out with in 2017 and tied with that of Leung Chun-ying, who had the lowest inaugural approval rating among chief executives based on records stretching back two decades.
Still, the figure is more than double the 17% approval rating held by Lam right before she left office as the city’s most unpopular leader ever, according to the researcher’s data. Lam’s five-year term was beset by strict Covid restrictions, city-wide unrest and the implementation of a sweeping national security law that silenced dissent in the city.
Lee, who was Lam’s top deputy before winning an uncontested election, now faces the challenge of leading Hong Kong at a time the city is increasingly being threatened by Singapore as the region’s top financial and business hub. The former policeman has taken steps to roll back some of the tough virus restrictions, including scrapping widely criticized flight bans and pledging to reduce the time people need to spend in quarantine hotels when arriving in the city.
The survey was based on interviews with 1,003 Hong Kong residents July 4-7 and Lee’s approval rating figures have a margin of error of 3%, according to the researcher.