Latest news with #non-Lee
NDTV
21-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Singapore PM Unveils New Cabinet After Landslide Election
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. PM Lawrence Wong unveiled his cabinet, retaining his finance minister role. Wong is the second non-Lee family member to lead Singapore in 60 years. Chan Chun Sing was appointed defence minister, replacing retired Ng Eng Hen. Singapore: Singapore's newly elected Prime Minister Lawrence Wong unveiled his cabinet on Wednesday, retaining his post as finance minister and appointing an ex-army general as defence chief. Wong became only the second non-member of the influential Lee family to lead Singapore in nearly 60 years when he brought the People's Action Party (PAP) to a landslide victory on May 3. The new cabinet, which saw several ministers take on new duties while keeping their old posts, comes as the trade-oriented nation faces uncertainty over US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. "With your strong support, I have done my utmost to assemble the strongest team I could for Singapore," Wong told local media. Wong, a Singapore- and US-trained economist, kept his position as finance minister, a key post in the wealthy global financial hub. Former army chief and major general Chan Chun Sing was named defence minister to replace Ng Eng Hen, who retired. Chan will host global defence ministers at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore from May 30 to June 1. Vivian Balakrishnan remained as foreign minister. K. Shanmugam took on a new role as coordinating minister for national security, in addition to remaining home affairs minister. And Gan Kim Yong became the sole deputy prime minister in addition to remaining as trade and industry chief. Singapore previously had two deputy prime ministers. Eugene Tan, an associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University, said the new cabinet "has its accent on continuity rather than change". "It is about ensuring momentum in his government in the wake of a strong election performance and outcome," he added. Popular after leading Singapore's Covid task force, 52-year-old Wong took over last year from his predecessor Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Singapore's late founding premier Lee Kuan Yew. Wong's PAP won all but 10 of the 97 contested seats on May 3. It also got a 65.57 percent share of the popular vote, up from 61.24 percent in 2020. He and his cabinet will be sworn in on Friday.
Korea Herald
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Ex-DP leader Lee poised to compete with 3 candidates in presidential primary
The presidential primary of the Democratic Party is shaping up to be a four-way race, with former party leader Lee Jae-myung expected to dominate given his strong grip on the party leadership, experts said Sunday. Last week, Lee officially declared his candidacy for the June 3 presidential election, following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol after his martial law declaration. Lee is expected to compete against three candidates in the party primary -- former lawmaker and Interior Minister Kim Doo-kwan, Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo. As Lee is widely considered the front-runner in the upcoming presidential election, the party race is largely expected to be a contest between Lee and the three Kims from the non-Lee faction, with Lee likely to dominate. "As the period of the party primary is quite short due to the snap election, the primary itself does not hold much significance for the overall presidential race. The start of the primary marks the beginning of our competition with the People Power Party," a DP official said. It marked Lee's third presidential bid, following 2017 and 2022. He lost the presidential race to Yoon by a thin margin three years ago. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Hopefuls join race for president
People Power Party forms election body Liberal and conservative hopefuls began lining up to launch their own bids for the presidency on Monday, three days after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office in a unanimous Constitutional Court ruling. The Constitution says a successor to an ousted president must be elected within 60 days of removal, putting the presidential contenders on a tight timeline. While the Democratic Party of Korea's leader, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, has long enjoyed a sizable lead in polls for preferred picks for president among both liberal and conservative options, some politicians categorized as being part of the "non-Lee faction" of the party have nonetheless announced their intentions to run. Kim Doo-kwan, a former lawmaker with the Democratic Party who ran against Lee for the party's chair position last year and lost, said Monday he would be entering the presidential contest. Lee has yet to officially launch a bid, before which he must vacate his seat for the Democratic Party leadership. Also on Monday, the Democratic Party raised calls for the People Power Party to forgo nominating a candidate. "If the People Power Party were to own up to its responsibility in producing a president who caused such damage to the country's democracy, the party would not nominate a candidate this coming election," said Rep. Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party's floor leader. The People Power Party on Monday appointed its former leader and former Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea as the head of the party's committee for managing the presidential election. The announcement came after the conservative party's emergency leadership meeting on Monday, where the decision was approved. 'Chairperson Hwang, a five-term lawmaker representing Incheon in Greater Seoul, has long served our party and most recently held the position of interim leader," said spokesperson Rep. Shin Dong-wook. "Given his deep understanding of internal party affairs, we believe he is the right person to ensure a fair and impartial primary process." Hong Joon-pyo, another conservative bigwig, said Monday he was stepping down as mayor of Daegu, a major conservative stronghold, to run for president. Among current lawmakers, Rep. Lee Jun-seok of the minor Reform Party was the first to declare his presidential candidacy, even before the former president was formally ousted. Lee led Yoon's 2022 campaign as the then-chair of the People Power Party. Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, who headed Yoon's presidential transition team, plans to open his presidential bid on Tuesday.
