Lawrence Wong, Singapore's deputy PM solidifies chances of becoming PM with new party position

Lawrence Wong, Singapore's deputy prime minister, was given a significant role in the ruling party on Saturday, solidifying his position to succeed PM Lee Hsien Loong as leader of the island nation.Wong, 49, was named as Lee Hsien Loong's replacement this year. Lee Hsien Loong is the leader of the People's Action Party (PAP), which has dominated the island country since its independence in 1965.

The party announced the appointment of Wong to the rank of deputy secretary-general, reports Reuters.

70-year-old Lee is the son of Lee Kuan Yew, who led Singapore's fight for independence and ruled for 50 years. According to the younger Lee, Wong will succeed him either before or after the upcoming general election in 2025.

According to political observers, the appointment of Desmond Lee, the minister of national development, and Chan Chun Sing, the minister of education, as assistant secretaries generals suggests they might serve as the future president's right-hand men.

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“There’s a good chance that those two would be the (future) deputy prime ministers,” Assistant Professor Walid Jumblatt Bin Abdullah from the Nanyang Technological University’s school of social sciences told Reuters.

The announcements likely will not affect markets or businesses, Walid said. “The party is still around, it is still the same party, the same ideology, and the same people.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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