Carrie Lam, the leader of Hong Kong, has announced that she will not seek re-election after a five-year term marked by huge months-long protests against her government and equally unprecedented pandemic casualties.
When Lam revealed her decision at her daily press conference on Monday, she cited family reasons and thanked them, her team, her Executive Council, legislators, and the central government for their unwavering support.
"On June 30, I will formally terminate my 42-year career in government," Lam - the city's first female chief executive - told reporters at a conference.
While standing alone at a podium, she expressed that her decision not to run for re-election was totally about her family. "They believe it is time for me to return home," she added.
"It's not a matter of assessing my or the Hong Kong government's performance in this term," she continued. "This is a matter of my personal desires and ambitions."
Lam said her family had been "somewhat damaged" since she was initially appointed to a political position in 2007.
She disclosed that she had expressed her desire to resign to Beijing over a year ago, during the annual session of the National People's Congress in March 2021.
But she could only officially announce it today since it was the first working day of the formal nomination process.
Lam also mentioned the importance of informing her de facto cabinet ahead of time.
When pressed if she had received the letter of resignation of Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu in advance of a run for the city's top post, she said she hadn't received any such letters from any official and that she couldn't comment on any prospective candidates.
Following Monday's news, Hong Kong's second highest official Lee, who had been rumored to be putting up a campaign for the top job, has emerged as the clear front runner.
Lee has not made a public announcement about his decision, but he is usually considered the only genuine candidate for the job.
In late June 2021, three months after Lam announced her decision not to run for re-election, Lee was appointed as Chief Secretary.
When asked about the job of the chief executive at Monday's press conference, Lam said the most crucial quality for the candidate was an understanding of their dual accountability to the Hong Kong people and the central government.
"I still haven't decided what I'm going to do next," she admitted.
