A former government adviser was elected as chief executive of Hong Kong, the southern Chinese financial centre, yesterday after a campaign marred by scandal and public unhappiness at a lack of representation.
Leung Chun-ying won 689 votes from a 1,200-seat committee of business leaders and other notables.
Mr Leung is a self-made Hong Kong-born surveyor, a graduate of the Hong Kong Polytechnic and the son of a policeman. He has strong China connections, although he denies any formal link with the Chinese Communist Party.
Beijing had previously backed Henry Tang, but his campaign collapsed after a series of scandals prompted the central government to switch to Mr Leung.
