Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong fired the leader of the opposition in parliament on Thursday, citing a criminal conviction and requesting the lawmaker's party to nominate a successor.
Singapore is one of few democracies where the ruling party holds direct power to choose an opposition leader, a system that has been criticised as reducing the autonomy of the legislature.
Wong's decision follows a parliament vote on Wednesday to declare Pritam Singh unfit for the role of opposition leader.
Singh, 49, head of the opposition Workers' Party, has been found guilty of lying to a parliamentary committee, with the High Court upholding the verdict on appeal in December.
Wong, whose People's Action Party dominates the legislature, had reappointed Singh for a second term as opposition leader after elections last year.
The 2025 vote extended the ruling party's more than six decades of uninterrupted power.
"Having considered the matter carefully, I have decided that Mr Singh's criminal convictions, taken together with Parliament's considered view of his unsuitability, make it no longer tenable for him to continue" as the leader of the opposition, Wong said in a statement.
Singh's termination with immediate effect "is necessary to uphold the rule of law, as well as the dignity and integrity of Parliament", the prime minister added.
There was no immediate comment from Singh.
Wong said he had sent a letter to Singh's party inviting them to nominate a replacement.
The Workers' Party confirmed it had received the letter, saying its members will deliberate "and respond in due course".
