Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will stay on as a senior minister after he steps down, the Straits Times reported, citing incoming premier Lawrence Wong.

Wong will announce his new cabinet a few days before he’s sworn in as the city’s fourth prime minister on May 15, the newspaper reported. Bigger cabinet changes are likely to take place after the next general election, according to the paper.

Lee announced on Monday that he will step down on May 15 after 20 years as prime minister, paving the way for Wong, 51.

Singapore’s leadership succession is a carefully telegraphed event that’s been years in the making. Lee’s earlier wish to hand over the reins before he turned 70 was disrupted by Covid-19 and the shock decision in 2021 by then-designated successor Heng Swee Keat to step aside, citing his age.

  - Bloomberg