Singapore General Election on May 3 to Be First Electoral Test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong; Ruling PAP Poised to Retain Power
Singapore is set to hold a general election on May 3, marking the first electoral test for current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, according to an announcement by the country's Elections Department on Tuesday. The announcement came after President Tharman Shanmugaratnam dissolved Parliament on the advice of Prime Minister Wong.
Lawrence Wong assumed office in May last year, succeeding former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. In a Facebook post, Wong said,
“We are witnessing profound changes in the world. It is becoming more uncertain, volatile, and fragmented by the day.”
He added that the global conditions that had long contributed to Singapore’s success may no longer hold, and thus, he called for an election to give citizens the opportunity to choose their leadership in light of these challenges.
A total of 97 seats will be contested in the upcoming election. However, analysts say there is little doubt that Wong’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) will remain in power.
The PAP has ruled Singapore continuously since 1959, and was founded by the country's founding father Lee Kuan Yew. Though the party has never received less than 60% of the vote, critics have long accused the government of suppressing opposition parties — particularly through electoral boundary redrawing (gerrymandering), restrictions on free speech, and tight controls on public gatherings.
In the 2020 general election, the main opposition Workers’ Party achieved its best result ever, winning 10 out of 93 seats.
Thus, the May 3 election will be a significant moment not only for testing Lawrence Wong’s leadership, but also for shaping Singapore’s future political trajectory.
