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world news Diasabra 7 Mei 2022

UK Conservatives lose London strongholds, in blow to Johnson

(AP) — Britain’s govern- districts in England, Scotland “We had a tough night in
ing Conservatives suf- and Wales, the Conservatives some parts of the country,”
fered local election losses had lost more than 450 coun- Johnson said. “But on the
Friday in their few Lon- cil seats and lost control of other hand, in other parts
don strongholds and other 10 local authorities to either of the country, you are still
parts of the U.K. — results Labour or the Liberal Demo- seeing Conservatives going
that will pile more pres- crats. forward and making quite re-
sure on Prime Minister markable gains in places that
Boris Johnson amid ethics “We are haemorrhaging sup- haven’t voted Conservative
scandals and a worsening port in parts of the country. for a long time, if ever.”
economic picture. There’s some serious issues
going on,” said Conservative In some comfort to the Con-
Voting held Thursday for lawmaker Tobias Ellwood. servatives, Labour did not
thousands of seats on more make big gains outside of the
than 200 local councils de- The election came after capital, especially in working-
cided who will oversee gar- months of turmoil for John- class northern England — ar-
bage collection and the filling son, in which he became the eas that Johnson successfully of that,” he said.
of potholes, but was also an first prime minister to be wooed in the 2019 election Opposition parties have de-
important barometer of pub- sanctioned for breaking the with promises to improve lo- Under Starmer’s hard-left manded that the Conserva-
lic opinion ahead of Britain’s law in office. He was fined cal economies and opportu- predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, tive government do more
next national election, which 50 pounds ($62) by police for nities after Britain’s exit from fighting between Labour’s to ease the cost-of-living
must be held by 2024. attending his own surprise the European Union. left-wing and more centrist crunch — driven by the war
birthday party in June 2020 wings roiled the party, which in Ukraine, disruptions from
The left-of-center opposition when lockdown rules barred John Curtice, a professor of suffered its worst election de- the COVID-19 pandemic
Labour Party, which has been social gatherings. politics at the University of feat in more than 80 years to and economic aftershocks
out of power nationally since Strathclyde, said the results Johnson’s Conservatives in from Brexit.
2010, won control of Wand- “The issue of ‘partygate’ kept showed that London is “very 2019.
sworth, Barnet and Westmin- coming up as a reason why much a one-party Labour The prime minister also faces
ster, three London boroughs many Conservative support- fiefdom.” In Northern Ireland, voters discontent within his own
long held by the Conserva- ers were staying at home or were electing a new 90-seat party, and the election losses
tives, and also made gains in were switching to a protest “But outside of London … Assembly, with polls suggest- could convince some Con-
Wales and Scotland, as well as vote,” said Conservative law- this isn’t quite the degree of ing the Irish nationalist party servatives to try to replace
some regions of England. maker David Simmonds. progress they might have an- Sinn Fein could win the larg- Johnson with a less tarnished
ticipated.” est number of seats and the leader.
Johnson’s party also lost Johnson has apologized but post of first minister, in what
ground to the centrist Lib- denies knowingly breaking Labour’s national cam- would be a historic first. Full Party Chairman Oliver
eral Democrats in the Con- the rules. He faces the pos- paign coordinator, Shabana results there are not expected Dowden acknowledged
servatives’ southern England sibility of more fines over Mahmood, said the results until Saturday, but early re- there had been “challenging
heartlands, where many other parties — police are showed Labour was building turns showed Sinn Fein in- headlines for the past few
middle-class voters are op- investigating a dozen gather- a solid foundation to regain creasing its vote share to be- months.”
posed to Brexit — a cause ings — and a parliamentary power after four successive come the most popular party,
Johnson championed — and investigation into whether he national election defeats. besting the long-dominant But he said “Labour are cer-
dismayed by lockdown rule- misled lawmakers about his Democratic Unionist Party. tainly not on the path to
breaking by the prime minis- behavior. Labour leader Keir Starmer power and I believe that Bo-
ter and sexual misconduct al- said the election was “a big Across the U.K., election ris Johnson does have the
legations against other senior The prime minister tried to turning point for us.” campaigns were dominated leadership skills, in particu-
Tories. shrug off the losses as mid- by the increasing prices for lar the energy and the dyna-
term blues. “We’ve changed Labour, and food and fuel, which have mism, that we need during
With results in from most now we’re seeing the results sent household bills soaring. this difficult period of time.”

China installing former security chief as Hong Kong leader

(AP) — China is installing control. needs only a simple majority nate opposition voices. confront protesters with tear
a career security official to win. The elaborate arrangements gas and rubber bullets, then
as the new leader of Hong John Lee, formerly the city’s surrounding the pre-deter- rounded many of them up
Kong in the culmination No. 2 official, is the only can- Speaking to supporters Fri- mined outcome speak to Bei- for arrest later.
of a sweeping political didate Sunday in what is an day, Lee acknowledged that jing’s desire for a veneer of
transformation that has election in name only. Well Hong Kong has deep-rooted democracy. Though they will Lam implemented Beijing’s
gutted any opposition in over half of the 1,500-mem- problems and reiterated his vote in a secret ballot, Hong orders and was widely seen
the Asian financial center ber Election Committee that intention to bring a “results- Kong’s electors have all been as the face of the crackdown.
and placed it ever more selects the chief executive has oriented” approach. carefully vetted. But the career bureaucrat still
firmly under Beijing’s already endorsed him and he seemed out of step with Chi-
Lee will replace Carrie Lam The city’s previous four chief na’s hardline president and
on July 1. Her 5-year term executives were also all ef- Communist Party leader Xi
was marked by Hong Kong’s fectively Beijing appointees. Jinping.
most tumultuous period A push to elect the leader by
since the former British col- popular vote foundered in For her successor, Beijing
ony was returned to China in 2014 amid protests demand- opted for Lee, a former top
1997. ing Beijing also relinquish police official and staunch
the right to approve candi- advocate of the new National
The election follows ma- dates. Security Law that outlaws
jor changes to Hong Kong’s subversion, secession, terror-
electoral laws last year to en- Lee’s rise grew out of mas- ism and collusion with for-
sure that only “patriots” loyal sive pro-democracy protests eign forces. More than 150
to Beijing can hold office. in 2019 that spiraled into vio- activists and others have been
That also saw the legislature lent clashes. As security sec- arrested since its implemen-
reorganized to all but elimi- retary, he led the campaign to tation.