New PM For Singapore As Lee Hsien Loong Bows Out

On Monday, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, aged 72, said on May 15th, he would hand over power to his designated successor Lawrence Wong, 51, currently deputy prime minister and finance minister. In a statement posted on the website of the Prime Minister’s Office, Lee called the leadership transition a “significant moment”.

“I will relinquish my role as Prime Minister on 15 May 2024 and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will be sworn in as the next Prime Minister on the same day. Lawrence and…team have worked hard to gain the people’s trust, notably during the pandemic.”

Wong did not immediately comment. Following the transition of power, an election is anticipated to occur in the subsequent months.

Lawrence Wong was officially designated as the next Prime Minister in April 2022 after an unusual disruption in Singapore’s typically meticulous leadership succession plans. This came about when the previously appointed successor unexpectedly withdrew, causing a deviation from the planned transition.

Wong will be the city state’s fourth prime minister. He became a familiar figure last year when a spate of scandals rocked the island and the ruling PPP. It involved a senior minister’s arrest in a corruption probe and the resignation of two MPs over an extramarital affair. In the case of the first, Transport Minister S Iswaran and billionaire hotelier Ong Beng Seng, were arrested and later released on bail.

The city state is due to elect a new president later this year and general elections are scheduled for November 2025. The ruling party may not do well given these scandals that have hit its squeaky clean reputation.