Lawrence Wong to take over from Lee Hsien Loong as Prime Minister on May 15

• Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will hand over the premiership to his deputy Lawrence Wong on May 15, 2024

• The announcement was made by the Prime Minister's Office on April 15

• Mr Lee urged all Singaporeans to lend their support to Mr Wong and the fourth-generation team in Government

• Mr Wong will be sworn in at 8pm on May 15 at the Istana

SINGAPORE --- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will hand over the premiership to his deputy Lawrence Wong on May 15, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said on Monday (April 15).

The announcement came two years after Cabinet ministers picked Mr Wong to be the leader of the fourth-generation (4G) team of political leaders from the ruling People's Action Party's (PAP), and seven months ahead of the party's 70th anniversary coming up in November.

"Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will relinquish his office on 15 May 2024," the PMO statement said on Monday, adding that Mr Lee will formally advise President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to appoint Mr Wong as prime minister.

"DPM Wong has the unanimous support of the PAP Members of Parliament."

Mr Wong will be sworn in as prime minister at 8pm on May 15 at the Istana, the PMO added.

Mr Lee, who led the country for about 20 years, said last November that he would pass the leadership role to Mr Wong before the PAP's 70th birthday "if all goes well".

The upcoming handover will mark the third time a Singapore prime minister hands over the reins of the country's leadership.

Mr Lee first took office in August 2004 at age 52 from his predecessor Goh Chok Tong, who handed him the baton after leading the nation for around 14 years.

Mr Goh took over at age 49 from founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1990. The late Mr Lee led Singapore for 31 years as prime minister, and was 67 when Mr Goh took office.

Mr Wong will be 51 when he takes over as the next prime minister in May, a year younger than Mr Lee when the latter took office.

Writing on his Facebook page on Monday, Mr Lee said that a leadership transition is a "significant" moment for any country and urged all Singaporeans to give Mr Wong and the 4G team their "full support".

He noted how Mr Wong and the team of 4G leaders have worked hard to gain the people's trust, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"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," Mr Lee said.

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

In a video posted on his social media accounts, Mr Wong said he accepts the premiership with "humility and a deep sense of duty" and pledged to give his all in this undertaking.

"Every ounce of my energy shall be devoted to the service of our country and our people," he said.

"Your dreams will inspire my actions. Your concerns will guide my decisions," he added.

"Work with me and my team. Together, we can build a future that shines brightly for all Singaporeans."

PAP'S SUCCESSION PLANS

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Lee had said that he hoped to step down before his 70th birthday, which was in February 2022.

The pandemic disrupted these succession plans.

During the 2020 General Elections, Mr Lee --- who was then 68 --- pledged to see Singapore through the pandemic and hand over the country "intact and in good working order to the next team". Whether or not he could step down by 70 would depend on how the pandemic unfolded, he later said.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who was previously picked by the party's 4G leaders as their "primus inter pares" --- first among equals --- later took himself out of the running for the premiership.

Mr Heng said that he would have too short of a runway since he would be near his mid-60s when he takes over as prime minister after the Covid-19 crisis is over.

Following this development, the 4G leaders asked for more time to pick their leader, saying there was a need to arrive at a consensus and to deal with the ongoing pandemic.

In 2022, two years after Mr Heng bowed out of contention for the job, the Cabinet named Mr Wong, who is the finance minister, as the next-in-line to take over Mr Lee.

Mr Wong was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister in June that year and was later appointed to a newly created role of deputy secretary-general of PAP during its annual party convention in November 2022.