SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Monday that he will step down on May 15 after two decades at the helm, and hand power to his deputy Lawrence Wong. Lee, 72, will formally advise the city-state’s president to appoint Wong, who is currently deputy prime minister and finance minister, to succeed him, his office said in a brief statement. Wong, who has the unanimous support of lawmakers in the long-ruling People’s Action Party, will be sworn in at the national palace later the same day, it said. Lee has served as prime minister and head of the PAP since August 2004. Lee announced last November that he would retire this year and has already named Wong as his designated successor. Lee originally planned to step down before turning 70, but those plans were shelved because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “For any country, a leadership transition is a significant moment. Lawrence and the 4G (fourth-generation) team have worked hard to gain the people’s trust, notably during the pandemic,” Lee said in a Facebook post on Monday. “I ask all Singaporeans to give Lawrence and his team your full support, and work with them to create a brighter future for Singapore.” |
Amanda Holden flashes her toned abs in plunging crop top as she wows in daring ensembleThe TikTok law kicks off a new showdown between Beijing and Washington. What's coming next?Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo to become general director of Opera PhiladelphiaSouth Carolina championshipU.S. labor secretary says UAW win at Tennessee Volkswagen plant shows southern workers back unionsAmendments to Missouri Constitution are on the line amid GOP infightingBody believed to be that of trucker who went missing in November found in Iowa farm fieldBNSF becomes 2nd major railroad to sign on to anonymous federal safety hotline for some workersWild horses to remain in North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National ParkCyclones and Wildcats will open 2025 season in the annual college football game in Ireland