Singapore prime minister says he will step down on May 15 and hand post to his deputy

SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will relinquish his office on May 15 and hand the post to his deputy Lawrence Wong, his office said Monday. Lee, 72, will formally advise the city-state’s president to appoint Wong, who is deputy prime minister and finance minister, to succeed him, his office said in a statement. Wong, who has the unanimous support of lawmakers in the long-ruling People’s Action Party, will be sworn in on the same day, it said. Lee has served as head of the PAP and as prime minister since August 2004. He announced last November that he would retire this year as there was no reason to delay the political transition.