Lawrence Wong to be the next Prime Minister of Singapore
Appointment
4 min read
Singapore’s Prime Minister's Office announced on 15 April 2004 that the current Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, would resign from his office on 15 May 2024, and the current Deputy Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, would succeed him.
Singapore’s government leaders are the world’s highest-paid leaders. The Prime Minister is paid 2.2 million Singapore dollars ($1.6m) per year, including bonuses.
Lawrence Wong would be sworn in as the fourth Prime Minister of Singapore on 15 May 2024.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong became the third Prime Minister of Singapore in 2004 after Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong left his office in 2004. The first Prime Minister of Singapore was Lee Kuan Yew.
Since its independence, Singapore's politics has been dominated by the People’s Action Party, and all the Prime Ministers have been from this party.
In November 2023, Prime Minister Lee announced that Lawrence Wong would replace him as the General Secretary of the People’s Action Party before the next parliamentary election in November 2025.
About Lawrence Wong
51-year-old Lawrence Wong was first elected a member of the Singapore Parliament in 2011. He was later appointed the Minister of State for education and defence. In 2021, he was appointed the Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in 2022.
He is also the Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, which is the central bank and . financial regulator of Singapore.
Political System in Singapore
Singapore is a parliamentary democracy with a President who is directly elected by the people. Singapore is one of the few countries where voting is compulsory for registered adult voters.
The Singapore Parliament is unicameral and has 94 members. Of these,84 are elected, while 10 are nominated.
The term of the Parliament is five years. The Prime Minister is usually from the party which has a majority in the Parliament. The Prime Minister is the head of the government and exercises real executive power.
About Singapore
Singapore is one of the smallest countries and is often said to be a city-state. It is situated at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula.
Singapore gained independence from Britain in 1963 and joined the Federation of Malaysia.
It seceded from Malaysia and became independent in 1965.
The Singapore population is diverse. The ethnic Chinese are the largest ethnic group, followed by the Malay population and Indian as the third largest group.
Singapore is one of the most economically advanced countries in Southeast Asia. Singapore port and Changi Airport are one of the busiest ports and airports in the world respectively .
President : Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Capital: Singapore
Currency: Singapore dollar
