Singapore’s planned political succession that would see Singaporean Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong (黃循財) become the country’s next leader is to coincide with general elections due by 2025, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) said.
The political landscape is getting more competitive, and Lee told members of his People’s Action Party (PAP) that it is imperative for them to keep Singaporeans on their side to ensure a hold on power with a strong mandate. Party members later voted on its central executive committee at yesterday’s gathering.
“We will be tested on all fronts domestically as well as abroad,” Lee said. “I have no doubt our neighbors will be watching closely whether Singaporeans continue to support the government. Whether Singapore will continue to function and to succeed the way it has been doing.”
Photo: Reuters
While it remains unclear whether the ruling party would seek a fresh mandate through early elections or if Lee, 70, plans to lead them, he said the PAP would keep on working at succession and leadership renewal of the so-called fourth generation (4G) of party cadres.
Lee previously said he would hand the reins to Wong, 49, once he is ready.
The PAP is seeking to strengthen its hand after its worst showing in the 2020 election. Wong, who is also deputy prime minster, warned party members on Sunday that it should not take winning the next election for granted, despite having held power since the city-state’s independence in 1965.
The party elected its 12-member Central Executive Committee, renewing many of its standing members. While Sinaporean Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong (顏金勇) stepped down as its chair, Prime Minister Lee, Deputy Prime Ministers Wong and Heng Swee Keat (王瑞傑), Minister of Education Chan Chun Sing (陳振聲) and Minister of Health Ong Ye Kung (王乙康) are among those who are to remain.
“Continuity remains the name of the game, which bodes well for companies,” said Nydia Ngiow, Singapore-based managing director at strategic policy advisory firm BowerGroupAsia.
There could still be one more party election before a national vote, so for Lee “at this stage the results perhaps indicate he’s not quite ready to ease off just yet and the 4G leaders still need to prove themselves for the next few years,” she said.
Wong said the opposition would be stronger at the next election, and reminded delegates that their challengers had won more seats and votes in recent contests.
“While we put up good candidates and fight to win every seat, we have to be prepared that we will not win all of them, and nor can we assume that we’ll form the next government,” Wong said at the party’s congress. “Whether it happens before or in 2025, we already know it’ll be a tough battle.”
Wong said the government wants to tilt its “policies further in favor of the less fortunate and vulnerable,” as many battle rising prices.
The low inflation and interest rates of the past few decades have come to an end, Wong said.
He also said the free flow of goods and investments that Singapore has grown accustomed to in recent decades is set to shift, if not reverse, with the emergence of a new “cold war” between the US and China, which “will be more dangerous than the first cold war.”
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS