Vote follows parliament\u2019s dissolution and will contest 97 seats across the city-state
\n Singapore
\nSingapore will hold its next general election on May 3, 2025, marking the first electoral test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his team of fourth-generation leaders. The country\u2019s parliament was dissolved Tuesday on Wong\u2019s advice, as President Tharman Shanmugaratnam set the election process in motion.
\nNomination Day will take place on April 23, followed by a nine-day campaign period and a mandatory \u201ccooling-off day\u201d on May 2, a day before polling.
\nThe vote will be Singapore\u2019s 14th general election since independence and the first since the departure of long-serving leader Lee Hsien Loong.
\nWong, who assumed office last year, is seeking a strong mandate to lead the city-state through rising domestic and global challenges, including inflation, housing pressures, labour market shifts, and growing demand for healthcare in an ageing society.
\nThe vote is widely expected to return the ruling People\u2019s Action Party (PAP) to power.
\nThe PAP has governed Singapore since it achieved self-rule in 1959, and all four of the country\u2019s prime ministers\u2014including Lee Kuan Yew and his son Lee Hsien Loong\u2014have come from the party.
\nIn the last election in 2020, the PAP won 83 of 93 seats, but the opposition Workers\u2019 Party made gains, securing 10 seats in what was considered its best performance since independence in 1965.
\nThis year, 97 seats will be contested. According to a March poll by YouGov, 63% of decided voters indicated they would back the PAP, while 15% supported the Workers\u2019 Party. Still, 56% of respondents remained undecided.
\nWong recently unveiled a populist budget that included tax rebates, handouts, and sector-specific support to cushion cost-of-living pressures, moves analysts saw as an attempt to \u201csweeten the ground\u201d ahead of the vote.
\nSingapore\u2019s economy has been impacted by ongoing global tensions, including new U.S. tariffs. Last week, Wong criticised the 10% U.S. tariff on Singaporean exports as a \u201cprofound turning point\u201d for global trade. On Monday, the government lowered its 2025 GDP forecast from 1\u20133% to 0\u20132%, citing global headwinds.
\nWhile voting is compulsory for Singapore\u2019s 2.75 million eligible voters, opposition parties continue to face structural challenges under the country\u2019s electoral system.
\nMany larger constituencies\u2014known as Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs)\u2014require teams of candidates to run, often disadvantaging smaller parties lacking resources.
\nCandidates must also pay a S$13,500 (US$9,700) deposit and must secure at least one-eighth of votes to avoid losing it.
\nThough only two prefectures\u2014Tokyo and Saitama\u2014recorded population increases last year, issues like affordability, inequality, and long-term immigration policy are expected to shape campaign discourse.
\nThe PAP has also been tested by political scandals in recent years, including a corruption probe involving a senior minister and the resignation of two lawmakers over an extramarital affair.
\nStill, the party remains one of the world\u2019s most electorally dominant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vote follows parliament\u2019s dissolution and will contest 97 seats across the city-state Singapore Singapore will hold its next general election on May 3, 2025, marking the first electoral test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his team of fourth-generation leaders. The country\u2019s parliament was dissolved Tuesday on Wong\u2019s advice, as President Tharman Shanmugaratnam set the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472777,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-472765","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n