Singapore sets general election date for 3 May in first test for new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong

Singapore will hold its next general election on 3 May, marking the first major political test for newly appointed Prime Minister Lawrence Wong since he took over from long-time leader Lee Hsien Loong last year.

The election campaign, among the world’s shortest at just nine days, is expected to focus heavily on issues such as the rising cost of living, housing affordability, job security, and increased healthcare demands due to the country’s ageing population.

The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), which has governed the city-state since 1959, is widely expected to retain power.

However, analysts are watching closely to see if the opposition can build on its gains from the 2020 election, when the Workers’ Party secured 10 seats, its best performance since independence in 1965.

This year, 97 seats will be contested. In the last general election, the PAP won 83 out of 93 seats, but the outcome was viewed by many as a relative setback for the dominant party.

According to a recent YouGov poll, 44% of surveyed Singaporeans had decided on their vote as of March. Of those, 63% indicated support for the PAP, while 15% backed the Workers’ Party.

Prime Minister Wong, who presented his first national budget in February, introduced a series of financial support measures, including tax rebates and cost-of-living relief, widely seen as an effort to shore up public support ahead of the polls.

Since its independence in 1965, Singapore has had only four prime ministers, all from the PAP. The first, Lee Kuan Yew, is regarded as the architect of modern Singapore and led the country for 25 years. His son, Lee Hsien Loong, held office for two decades before stepping down in 2024.

The PAP’s image has taken a hit in recent years, including in 2020 when the party was rocked by scandals such as a corruption probe involving a senior minister and the resignation of two MPs over an extramarital affair.

Singapore’s 2.75 million eligible voters are required by law to cast their ballots. The country follows a first-past-the-post system similar to the UK’s, but with key differences.

Most notably, many parliamentary seats are grouped into larger constituencies known as Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs), where teams of up to five candidates run together.

Introduced in 1988, GRCs were intended to ensure minority representation but have often posed challenges for smaller opposition parties lacking deep candidate pools.

Candidates must also pay a S$13,500 ($9,700) deposit and win at least 12.5% of the vote to have it returned.

Electoral boundaries are regularly adjusted to reflect population shifts, a process opposition parties have long criticized as lacking transparency and favouring the incumbents. The government has consistently denied any allegations of gerrymandering.