After serving as prime minister of Singapore for two decades, Lee Hsien Loong will step down next month

Singapore: After 20 years in office, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Monday that he will give over the reins to his deputy, Lawrence Wong, on May 15. According to a short statement from his office, Lee, 72, would officially suggest the president of the city-state choose Wong, who serves as deputy prime minister and finance minister, to replace him.

Later that day, Wong, who has the full backing of MPs from the long-governing People’s Action Party, would take the oath of office in the national palace, the statement said.

Since August 2004, Lee has held the positions of PAP leader and prime minister.

Wong has already been appointed as Lee’s chosen successor after his announcement in November of last year that he would retire this year. Prior to reaching 70, Lee had intended to retire, but the COVID-19 epidemic derailed his plans.

A change of leadership is a momentous occasion for any nation. Lee said on Facebook on Monday, “Lawrence and the 4G (fourth-generation) team have worked hard to gain the people’s trust, particularly during the pandemic.” “I want to make a request to all Singaporeans: please support Lawrence and his team wholeheartedly and collaborate with them to build a better future for Singapore.”

According to Lee, there’s no need to postpone the political shift and transferring power to Wong before the next national elections in 2019 would enable the 51-year-old politician to secure his own mandate and lead the nation forward.

Wong gained notoriety for her role in directing Singapore’s counteroffensive against COVID-19. Since the city-state’s independence in 1965, he will be its fourth ruler.

In the 2020 general elections, PAP, one of the longest-serving parties in the world, held onto 83 of the 93 parliamentary seats, maintaining its super majority. However, after losing a few seats and seeing a decline in popularity, that was its lowest showing.

Lee is the oldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, who served as Singapore’s first prime minister for 31 years, during which time he transformed the resource-poor city-state into one of the wealthiest countries in the world. However, Singapore has also come under fire for its strict laws, media censorship, application of harsh regulations, and civil litigation against dissidents.