Singaporeans will head to the polls on May 3 for the country’s 14th General Election, after President Tharman Shanmugaratnam dissolved parliament on Tuesday (Apr 15).
Nomination Day will be on Apr 23.
The upcoming contest will be the first under Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who was sworn in last May, and Singapore's fourth-generation or 4G leadership team. Mr Wong was named secretary-general of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) in December 2024, succeeding Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the helm of the party.
At stake in this General Election are 97 seats across 33 constituencies, comprising 18 Group Representation Constituencies (GRC) and 15 Single Member Constituencies (SMC).
In the 2020 General Election, which was held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) clinched 61.24 per cent of the votes, winning 83 seats out of an available 93.
But a swing to the opposition saw the Workers’ Party (WP) make inroads into parliament by claiming its second GRC. WP chief Pritam Singh was also formally designated Leader of the Opposition.
The upcoming election could feature candidates from 11 parties, including two opposition alliances. The opposition camp has contested all seats since the 2015 polls.
NINE DAYS OF CAMPAIGNING
Nomination Day marks the start of a nine-day campaigning period.
The last day of campaigning would be on May 1. That is when the May Day Rally will take place, where labour movement leaders and tripartite partners traditionally gather for a large event, with a speech delivered by the prime minister.
The next day, May 2, is Cooling-off Day, to give voters the time to reflect and consider key issues before making their decisions.
"Under the law, Polling Day at any General Election shall be a public holiday. Every employer shall on Polling Day allow every elector in his employ a reasonable period of time to vote," the Elections Department said in a media release on Tuesday.
The Returning Officer for the vote is Mr Han Kok Juan, the director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
There will be nine nomination centres covering the various electoral divisions. Prospective candidates must deliver nomination papers to the returning officer between 11am and noon on Apr 23.
CNA
This election will be the first testing ground for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who takes over the leadership of the People's Action Party (PAP) from Lee Hsien Loong in May 2024.
This election will be the first testing ground for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who takes over the leadership of the People's Action Party (PAP) from Lee Hsien Loong in May 2024, after more than two decades under Lee's leadership.
As before, the PAP is expected to maintain its dominance and win the majority of parliamentary seats, but the focus will be on the number of popular votes won, following the party's worst performance in the 2020 election.
The election will also take place in a challenging economic climate, with the country's economic growth forecast to slow. On Monday, the government lowered its growth forecast for 2025 to between 0 and 2 percent, compared to an original forecast of 1 to 3 percent.
The move was made following concerns over the impact of tariffs by United States President Donald Trump, which are expected to affect the country's trade sector.
The PAP's popularity has been declining for the past decade as the opposition has managed to increase its number of seats from election to election. The opposition won six seats in 2011 and 2015, and recorded its biggest win with 10 seats in 2020.
This election will see an additional four seats, making a total of 97 seats contested, involving 15 single-member constituencies and 18 multi-member constituencies, each with four or five representatives.
In February, Wong presented a budget that analysts saw as a "full election budget", with various incentives offered to the people ahead of this election.
