1 month ago
- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced his resignation, which will return spot connected May 15, aft starring for 2 decades.
- Lee will beryllium passing powerfulness to Deputy Lawrence Wong.
- He voiced nan value of this activity transition, urging Singaporeans to support Wong and his team.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Monday that he will measurement down connected May 15 aft 2 decades astatine nan helm, and manus powerfulness to his lawman Lawrence Wong.
Lee, 72, will formally counsel nan city-state's president to name Wong, who is presently lawman premier curate and finance minister, to win him, his agency said successful a little statement. Wong, who has nan unanimous support of lawmakers successful nan long-ruling People's Action Party, will beryllium sworn successful astatine nan nationalist palace later nan aforesaid day, it said.
Lee has served arsenic premier curate and caput of nan PAP since August 2004.
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Lee announced past November that he would discontinue this twelvemonth and has already named Wong arsenic his designated successor. Lee primitively planned to measurement down earlier turning 70, but those plans were shelved because of nan COVID-19 pandemic.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks during a associated property convention pursuing a bilateral gathering astatine nan ASEAN-Australia Special Summit successful Melbourne, Australia connected March 5, 2024. Lee will relinquish his agency connected May 15 and manus nan station to his deputy, Lawrence Wong, his agency said connected Monday. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair, File)
"For immoderate country, a activity modulation is simply a important moment. Lawrence and nan 4G (fourth-generation) squad person worked difficult to summation nan people's trust, notably during nan pandemic," Lee said successful a Facebook station connected Monday. "I inquire each Singaporeans to springiness Lawrence and his squad your afloat support, and activity pinch them to create a brighter early for Singapore."
Lee has said location is nary logic to hold nan governmental modulation and that passing nan baton to Wong earlier nationalist elections owed adjacent twelvemonth will let nan 51-year-old leader to triumph his ain instruction and return nan state forward.
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Wong came to prominence while helping to coordinate Singapore’s conflict against COVID-19. He will beryllium nan city-state’s 4th leader since its independency successful 1965.
PAP, 1 of nan world’s longest-serving parties, retained its ace mostly pinch 83 retired of 93 parliamentary seats successful 2020 wide elections. But that was its worst capacity aft losing immoderate seats and support slipped.
Lee is nan eldest boy of Lee Kuan Yew, who became Singapore’s first premier curate and built nan resource-poor city-state into 1 of nan world’s richest nations during 31 years successful office. But Singapore has besides been criticized for its tight authorities control, media censorship and usage of oppressive laws and civilian lawsuits against dissidents.
