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.
Ukraine's top diplomat told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during talks in the city of Guangzhou on Wednesday that Kyiv was open to negotiating with Russia if Moscow was ready to do so in good faith, something Kyiv saw no evidence of currently.
Palestinian factions have signed a “national unity” agreement in Beijing aimed at maintaining Palestinian control over Gaza once Israel’s war on the enclave concludes.
Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, passed away on Friday, state media reported, according to CGTN.