Lawrence Wong to take over as Singapore PM on 15 May

SINGAPORE: A date for Singapore’s leadership handover has been set – Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will officially become Prime Minister on 15 May, taking the reins from Lee Hsien Loong who has been in office since 2004.

The Prime Minister’s Office announced this on Monday, saying Wong will be sworn in at the Istana at 8 p.m. on 15 May.

Wong, who is also the Finance Minister, will be Singapore’s fourth Prime Minister. 

In a Facebook post, Lee noted that a leadership transition is a significant moment in any country.

“Lawrence and the 4G team have worked hard to gain the people’s trust, notably during the pandemic,” he wrote.

“Through the Forward Singapore exercise, they have worked with many Singaporeans to refresh our social compact and develop the national agenda for a new generation.”

Lee asked Singaporeans to give Wong and his team their full support.

“The 4G team are committed to keeping Singapore working well and moving ahead. These will always be top priorities for the Government,” he added.

Wong, 51, was named two years ago as the leader of the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) fourth-generation (4G) team, effectively putting him in line to become the next Prime Minister. 

This was after Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who had previously been named as 4G leader, stepped aside in April 2021, citing his age and the lack of a proper “runway” for the top job. Heng is 63 this year.

The timing of the handover was first suggested late last year when Lee said that if all goes well, he would hand the baton to Wong by the PAP’s 70th birthday in November this year and before the next General Election, which must be called by November 2025. 

Lee, 72, had previously indicated his intention to step down before his 70th birthday in February 2022, but that plan was scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Lee took office in 2004 at the age of 52. His predecessor Goh Chok Tong became Prime Minister at the age of 49 in 1990. The late Lee Kuan Yew was 35 when he was sworn in as Prime Minister in 1959. (Source: Channel News Asia)