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Singapore - Head of Government

The Hon Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister

The Hon Lee Hsien Loong is serving his second term in office as Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore following his his re-election victory at the May 2006 general election. He first became Prime Minister on 12 August 2004. He also retains the Minister for Finance portfolio, which he has held since 2001.

Mr Lee has held various portfolios in his political and civil service careers. He

was the Minister for Trade and Industry from 1987-92. In 1987, Mr Lee also held the concurrent post of Second Minister for Defence. In 1998 he was appointed Chairperson of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

In 1990, Mr Lee became Deputy Prime Minister with responsibilities for economic and civil service matters. He had risen through the ranks from his first appointment as Minister of State in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Defence in 1984.

Mr Lee became the Secretary-General of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in December 2004. He had held the post of First Assistant Secretary-General in 1992 and Second Assistant Secretary-General in 1989. Mr Lee was elected to the PAP’s Central Executive Committee in 1986 after becoming a Member of Parliament in 1984.

Before his entry into politics, Mr Lee was a Brigadier-General in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). He joined the SAF in 1971 and held various staff and command posts. Mr Lee. attended the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, USA, in 1978. He was the first Director of the Joint Operations and Plans Directorate, and Chief of Staff of the General Staff,

Mr Lee has a Master's degree in public administration from Harvard University, USA, and a Bachelor’s degree (Hons, 1st class) in mathematics from the University of Cambridge, UK.

Mr Lee was born on 19 February 1952.