Carrie Lam, the leader of Hong Kong, announces she will not seek a second term in office.

• Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, announced during a press conference on Monday that she will not be seeking a second term in office.
• She said her decision is “entirely based on” her family considerations.
• According to local media reports citing unnamed sources, Hong Kong's chief secretary John Lee is expected to resign to run for chief executive, while Lam remained silent on any potential candidates for the upcoming election.

Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, announced during a press conference on Monday that she will not be seeking a second term in office.

Lam stated that her decision not to run for the upcoming chief executive election is not about evaluating her performance or that of the Hong Kong SAR government, but rather about her personal wishes and aspirations.

She said her decision is "entirely based on" her family considerations, as she is married with two sons.

She informed the Central People's government, and they acknowledged her message.

She announced that she would not run for chief executive in the upcoming election.

According to local media reports citing unnamed sources, Hong Kong's chief secretary John Lee is expected to resign to run for chief executive, while Lam remained silent on any potential candidates for the upcoming election.

The election, originally scheduled for May 8, was postponed in the Chinese city due to a surge in Covid cases. The nomination period began on Sunday.

Hong Kong, being a special administrative region of China, operates under the "one country, two systems" framework, which grants it limited election rights and a mostly separate legal and economic system.

Every five years, chief executives are elected, and Lam's tenure was marked by both local and global crises.

In June 2019, Hong Kong faced political turmoil due to a proposed bill that would have allowed extradition to mainland China. Thousands of pro-democracy protesters took to the streets, and their protests lasted for months, sometimes turning violent. Some called for the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

Despite the withdrawal of the bill, China enacted a national security law for Hong Kong within months. Lam explained that the bill aimed to prevent secession, subversion of state power, terrorism activities, and foreign interference, but critics, including the U.S. and the U.K., argued it would harm Hong Kong's autonomy.

Beijing and Hong Kong have different approaches to managing the Covid-19 pandemic, with Beijing adopting a zero-Covid stance and Hong Kong trying to maintain its status as an international financial hub while implementing strict travel rules.

Before becoming Hong Kong's chief executive in 2017, Lam served in public office for over 36 years.

She had evaded queries about running for a second term prior to Monday's announcement.

In an interview with CNBC's Emily Tan in January 2021, she refused to respond to questions about a potential reelection bid. Instead, she stated, "I often comfort myself that women are frequently tasked with the most challenging jobs, and I am one of them."