Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore chooses as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament (MP) who, he thinks, will have the highest chance of being supported by a majority of MPs.
The first time there was a Prime Minister was in 1959 and it was chosen by the Governor of Singapore and later the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (head of state), when Singapore could have the power to govern as the State of Singapore inside the British Empire. The title of Prime Minister did not change after Singapore merged with the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak and British North Borneo, while Singapore was a state in the Federation of Malaysia from 1963 to 1965, and after independence in 1965.
Lee Kuan Yew was the first prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990 and retired on 26 November 1990. Goh Chok Tong took over Lee Kuan Yew, while Lee Kuan Yew was given the job of Senior Minister in the Prime Minister' s Office. Goh Chok Tong retired on 12 August 2004 and was replaced by Lee Kuan Yew' s son Lee Hsien Loong. Goh was given the job of Senior Minister, and the older Lee the job of Minister Mentor.
List of prime ministers of Singapore
List of deputy prime ministers
The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) is the second highest position and the second most senior Cabinet Minister in Singapore. The DPM will sometimes become the Acting Prime Minister when the Prime Minister is temporarily not in Singapore. Since the mid-1980s, Singapore has usually had two Deputy Prime Ministers at one time.
(1) Ong Teng Cheong and Tony Tan served under more than one Prime Minister during their time as Deputy Prime Minister.
Related pages
Cabinet of Singapore
References
Other websites
Prime Minister' s Office
Political office-holders in Singapore
Singapore