Singapore sets general election date

The election registration date is scheduled for April 23, allowing candidates nine days of campaigning before “Cooling Off Day” on May 2, the day before Polling Day, to give voters time to reflect and consider key issues before making a decision. “By law, Polling Day at any general election is a public holiday,” the Election Commission said in a press release on April 15. “Every employer must allow every voter in their company a reasonable period of time to vote on this day.”

This election in Singapore will see the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) contest all 97 seats in 33 constituencies - 18 Group Constituencies (GRCs) and 15 Single-Member Constituencies (SMCs). There will be nine nomination centres covering different constituencies. Potential candidates must submit their nomination papers to the election officer between 11am and noon on 23 April. Candidates from 11 parties, including two opposition coalitions, are expected to contest. The opposition has contested all seats since the 2015 election.

The ruling PAP will field more than 30 new faces, its largest list in recent years. It is likely that the PAP will be challenged in all constituencies. Opposition parties, such as the Workers’ Party (WP) and the Progressive Party (PSP), have strong candidates in many constituencies. Smaller opposition parties have also made overlapping claims, creating a multi-sided battle in some areas and forcing the parties to reach a consensus early.

This is Mr Lawrence Wong’s first election as Prime Minister and PAP Secretary-General. The election will take place against a backdrop of looming geopolitical uncertainty, with the world’s two largest economies, the US and China, locked in a trade war. Mr Wong said that in a world that is shifting to a completely new global order, Singaporeans will have to decide which team they trust to weather the storm and chart the way forward for the country.

In the 2020 general election, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the ruling PAP won 61.24% of the vote, winning 83 of the 93 available seats. A shift to the opposition helped the WP enter Parliament by winning the second GRC. WP leader Pritam Singh was also formally appointed as the Leader of the Opposition.

A January 2025 survey found that voters' concerns ahead of this election included the cost of living, jobs and unemployment.

The 14th Parliament of Singapore, which began on 24 August 2020, was the second-longest-serving Parliament in Singapore's history, running for four years and eight months. It also ended its term with the highest number of vacancies, after six MPs resigned for various reasons. Under the Singapore system, cabinet ministers do not relinquish their roles after Parliament is dissolved and continue to carry out their responsibilities until the first sitting of the new Parliament.