Singapore PM’s estranged brother Lee Hsien Yang weighs running for president

The estranged younger brother of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is considering a run for the largely ceremonial role of president this year, a sign that an ongoing family feud could start to overshadow the city state’s politics.

Lee Hsien Yang, 65, spoke about his plans after the government revealed an ongoing police investigation against him and his wife over the handling of the last will of his father Lee Kuan Yew, who founded modern Singapore.

“There is a view that depending on who they float, if I were to run they would be in serious trouble and could lose,” Lee Hsien Yang said by phone, referring to the ruling People’s Action Party headed by his brother. “A lot of people have come to me. They really want me to run. It’s something I would consider”.

The Prime Minister’s Office didn’t immediately comment. The government has said the police investigation was an opportunity for Lee Hsien Yang and his wife Lee Suet Fern to vindicate themselves and their refusal to participate raises questions.

While the prime minister runs the government in Singapore, the presidency holds some powers such as the right to veto spending bills or government requests to draw on past reserves, which was done to help shore up the budget during the pandemic. The president also must sign off on civil service appointments.

Although candidates for the presidential race are supposed to be non-partisan under Singapore’s constitution, the current president was a former senior official of the PAP, which has ruled Singapore since independence in 1965. The vote will give an indicator of the national mood ahead of a general election that must be called by November 2025, with the PAP seeking to win over younger voters facing rising living costs after suffering its worst-ever showing in the 2020 election.