New Hong Kong Leader's Rude Nickname Portends Challenges Ahead
- Lam’s 777 votes win election, but opens her to new derision
- Opponents vow ‘large civil disobedience’ at July inauguration
Lam Win's Resounding Victory to Be HK's Next Leader
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Carrie Lam received a harbinger of difficulties ahead when the announcement of her victory in Hong Kong’s leadership election Sunday received not only cheers and boos, but laughter.
Behind-the-scenes backing from China helped Lam win a resounding victory among the 1,194 business and political elites who pick the city’s chief executive, and dispatched an opponent more popular with the general public. But her vote total -- 777 -- was immediately seized upon as a nickname to deride the election process. In Cantonese, “seven” sounds like an expletive sometimes used to refer to an impotent person.