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.
The final obstacles to a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been removed, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov announced.
Morocco is in an exceptional geographical position: it is a gateway to Africa, Europe and even the Middle East, and across the ocean to the USA . It is no wonder that the North African country is a member of the Belt and Road Initiative and is increasingly close to China. Chinese companies are also building one of the country's flagship projects, the high-speed rail network. At the same time, more and more tourists from the Far East are discovering Morocco.
In a crucial and long-awaited development toward ending the ongoing war, Ukraine has agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire, contingent upon Russia's reciprocal commitment. This agreement emerged from extensive discussions held on March 11, 2025, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between U.S. and Ukrainian officials.