Photo: AFP/Mark Cheong
Eurasia
16/04/2024 17:01
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 (PAP), 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.”
Lee has said there is no reason to delay the political transition and that passing the baton to Wong before national elections due next year will allow the 51-year-old politician to win his own mandate and take the country forward.
South Korea’s impeached ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol said on Saturday he was leaving his conservative party ahead of snap elections triggered by his exit last month over a disastrous bid to impose martial law.
The March earthquake, which claimed more than 5,000 lives, has once again drawn international attention to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Gergely Szabó, an amateur photographer who travels to conflict zones, joined Myanmar rebels in the jungle even before the natural disaster to document their daily struggles and lives. Here is his photo report from the civil war-torn country.
Uzbekistan and Hungary demonstrate a strong commitment to strengthening environmental partnerships, laying a solid foundation for joint progress in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development. In recent years, cooperation between the two countries has gained active momentum, encompassing both bilateral and multilateral formats.