Prime Minister Lawrence Wong says city-states are at a “critical point” amid global uncertainty.
Singapore will hold its general election on May 3, and the city’s state officials said it has paved the way for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s first election test since taking office last year.
The Election Bureau Singapore announced its election day on Tuesday shortly after the Prime Minister’s Office said President Tarman Shanmugaratnam had dissolved Parliament over Wong’s advice.
Elections are coming at a delicate moment for Singapore. Singapore’s export-dependent economy faces headwinds from President Donald Trump’s trade war.
Wong, who took over Lee Hsien Loong in May, said he called the election to give Singaporeans the opportunity to choose their next leader team at the country’s “important point.”
“We are witnessing a major change in the world. It is becoming more uncertain, more unstable and more unstable,” Wong said in a post on her Facebook page.
“The global conditions that have enabled Singapore to succeed in the last few decades may no longer be retained.”
A total of 97 seats will be won in the election, but Wong’s People’s Action Party (PAP) is almost certain to maintain power.
Co-founded by Singapore’s founder Lee Quang Yu, PAP has ruled city-states uninterrupted since achieving autonomy from the UK in 1959.
Although PAP has never received less than 60% of the vote, critics have accused the government of suppressing opposition through free expression and gerrymandering and strict control over parliament.
In 2020, the main opposition workers’ party secured the highest election results ever, competing for 10 of the 93 seats.
Polls suggest that elections may be more competitive than previous votes.
In a survey conducted by YouGov last month, only 44% of respondents said they had decided which party would vote.
Of those who made up their minds, 63% said they chose PAP, while 15% said they preferred the Workers’ Party.
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