Singapore to Nominate House Speaker as Scandals Rock City-State

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong intends to nominate Seah Kian Peng to be the next speaker of parliament after his predecessor resigned over an extramarital affair.

(Bloomberg) — Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong intends to nominate Seah Kian Peng to be the next speaker of parliament after his predecessor resigned over an extramarital affair.

The prime minister will nominate Seah, a former deputy speaker of parliament, at the next sitting of Parliament in August, according to a statement from his office.

The tiny island nation that has cultivated a reputation for clean governance has been consumed by recent scandals involving ruling party lawmakers.

Once seen as a potential prime ministerial candidate by political observers, Tan Chuan-Jin stepped down from positions in government and the party this week, becoming the second parliament speaker to resign for having an inappropriate relationship in just over a decade.

Days later, Singapore’s main opposition party announced that one of its lawmakers resigned following another affair with a colleague.

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