Singapore’s new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will take office on May 15

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will step down on May 15 and hand over the power to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday.

Wong, who will be sworn in at 8 p.m. local time that day, will be Singapore’s fourth prime minister since its independence in 1965.

Lee announced in November that Wong will take the reins from him as leader of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) before the next general election due November 2025. Lee has served as prime minister since 2004.

Wong has the unanimous support of the PAP members of parliament, the PMO statement said.

Wong, who is 51, entered politics after being elected a member of parliament during the 2011 General Election. He was subsequently appointed as the minister of state and defense and education. He is currently the Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the country’s central bank and financial regulator.

Lee previously praised Wong for the handling of the Covid crisis, where he rose to prominence as one of the co-chairs of the Covid task force at the height of the pandemic. 

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