Singapore: Lawrence Wong was sworn in as Singapore's new prime minister in a ceremony broadcast live on television after Lee Hsien Loong stepped down following two decades in office.
Wong, formerly deputy prime minister, became the second person outside the Lee family to lead the affluent nation.
"I... do solemnly swear that I will at all times faithfully discharge my duties as prime minister according to law, and to the best of my knowledge and ability, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. So help me God," the 51-year-old said.
Members of Wong's cabinet were also sworn in, including his predecessor Lee, 72, who was appointed to the advisory role of senior minister.
The US-educated economist is widely seen as a social media-savvy stalwart who effectively handled the Covid-19 crisis when he oversaw the government's pandemic task force. "He brings a style of leadership that's more attuned to a different generation," said Mustafa Izzuddin, a political analyst with the Solaris Strategies Singapore consultancy.
"The core principle of what Singapore is about will remain because it is a system that has worked for many years. But I think his style may be slightly different because he comes from a different generation."
Wong, who will remain as finance minister, was chosen as Lee's heir-apparent in 2022 from a new generation of lawmakers from the People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled uninterrupted since Singapore's independence in 1965.
