Lawrence Wong will be sworn in as Singapore’s fourth prime minister on Wednesday, May 15.
This is the first time in 20 years, Singapore will inaugurate a new prime minister. Incoming Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong picked Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong as his deputy.
The trade minister is also set to take over from Wong as the chairman of Singapore’s central bank, which decides on monetary policy and helps to oversee part of the country’s vast, undisclosed financial reserves.
However, he faces challenges such as maintaining the PAP’s dominance, tackling economic issues, and navigating geopolitical tensions.
Wong, who was not the first choice of his peers, will have the shortest runway of all his predecessors, becoming Deputy Prime Minister just two months after being anointed Lee’s successor.
Despite his increased profile during the pandemic, Wong remains somewhat of an unknown quantity to Singaporeans, who have high expectations for the incoming Prime Minister. Wong, who has stressed that he did not seek out the role or expect to become a leader, is working hard to win over the electorate and keep Singapore’s “miracle” going
Wong is the fourth leader in Singapore’s 59-year history as an independent nation.
