Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor
© REUTERS/ Bobby YipCarrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, 59, has been elected Hong Kong's first female chief executive, local media reported Sunday.

South China Morning Post newspaper reported that Lam won 777 votes from the 1,194-member Election Committee.

The inauguration will take place on July 1.

China gained sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997. The administrative region was granted legal, economic and political autonomy from Beijing under the "one country, two systems" principle formulated by Chairman of the Central Advisory Commission of the Communist Party of China Deng Xiaoping in early 1980s.