{ "id": "ep52cv724d", "slug": "next-singaporean-general-election-ep52cv724d", "title": "Next Singaporean general election", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.politics", "label": "Politics and government", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.politics" }, { "id": "society.politics.elections", "label": "Elections and representation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.politics.elections" }, { "id": "society.politics.elections.events", "label": "Elections and referendums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.politics.elections.events" }, { "id": "society.politics.elections.events.national-elections-other-jurisdictions", "label": "National and subnational elections outside the US and UK", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.politics.elections.events.national-elections-other-jurisdictions" }, { "id": "society.politics.elections.events.elections-asia", "label": "Asian election events", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.politics.elections.events.elections-asia" }, { "id": "society.politics.elections.events.elections-asia.south-and-southeast-asian-elections", "label": "South and Southeast Asian elections", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.politics.elections.events.elections-asia.south-and-southeast-asian-elections" }, { "id": "society.politics.elections.events.elections-asia.south-and-southeast-asian-elections.southeast-asian-elections", "label": "Southeast Asian elections", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.politics.elections.events.elections-asia.south-and-southeast-asian-elections.southeast-asian-elections" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.society.politics.elections", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later: Elections and representation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.society.politics.elections", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.society" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.society.politics", "label": "Politics and government", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.society.politics" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.society.politics.elections", "label": "Elections and representation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.society.politics.elections" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Next Singaporean general election: the parliamentary vote following the 3 May 2025 election, due within three months of the 15th Parliament's dissolution under the five-year term, using 97 seats across GRCs and SMCs with compulsory voting.", "snippet": "Next Singaporean general election: the parliamentary vote following the 3 May 2025 election, due within three months of the 15th Parliament's dissolution under the five-year term, using 97 seats across GRCs and SMCs with compulsory voting.", "node": "society.politics.elections.events.elections-asia.south-and-southeast-asian-elections.southeast-asian-elections", "markdown": "# Next Singaporean general election\n\nThe next Singaporean general election is the parliamentary election that will follow the general election of 3 May 2025, to be held after the dissolution of the Parliament elected that year. Under Singapore's Parliamentary Elections Act, Parliament sits for a term of five years but may be dissolved earlier by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, and a general election must be held within three months of dissolution[1](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_parliamentary.html). Voting is compulsory, and the election uses single-member constituencies alongside group representation constituencies contested by teams[2](https://apnews.com/article/707a5957751dd3eb96320c41aa4d28d4).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Previous election | Held 3 May 2025; Parliament dissolved 15 April 2025[3](https://www.imda.gov.sg/resources/press-releases-factsheets-and-speeches/factsheets/2025/general-election-2025) • [4](https://apnews.com/article/30486264a84bada87ab9fc12410b7da1) |\n| Result | The People's Action Party (PAP) won 87 of 97 seats, including 5 uncontested, with 65.6% of the popular vote; the Workers' Party held its 10 seats[5](https://apnews.com/article/56abe5205c784c575fd5550b979c461f) |\n| Term mechanism | Parliament's term is 5 years; a general election must be held within 3 months of dissolution[1](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_parliamentary.html) |\n| Electoral map | 18 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and 15 Single Member Constituencies (SMCs), returning 97 MPs[6](https://www.parliament.gov.sg/visit-learn/educational-resources) |\n| Electorate | 2,753,226 electors on the Registers of Electors as of 1 February 2025[7](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_type_electoral.html) |\n| Voting rule | Compulsory voting; polling stations open 8 am to 8 pm on polling day[2](https://apnews.com/article/707a5957751dd3eb96320c41aa4d28d4) • [1](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_parliamentary.html) |\n| Next election of any kind | The Presidential Election, due in 2029[8](https://www.eld.gov.sg/faq_voters.html) |\n\n## The 2025 baseline\n\nThe election that set the stage for the next one was called early in the new Prime Minister's tenure. [Lawrence Wong](https://www.edgepedia.org/lawrence-wong), sworn in as Singapore's fourth prime minister in May 2024, had Parliament dissolved on 15 April 2025, saying that global conditions enabling Singapore's past success might no longer hold and asking voters to choose \"the team to lead our nation\"[4](https://apnews.com/article/30486264a84bada87ab9fc12410b7da1). The PAP, which has governed since 1959 and has won every general election since independence in 1965, sought a stronger mandate after its 2020 result, when its popular vote fell to a near-record low of 61%[5](https://apnews.com/article/56abe5205c784c575fd5550b979c461f) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/707a5957751dd3eb96320c41aa4d28d4).\n\nThe PAP's appeal for a resounding mandate amid economic turbulence following United States tariff increases was reflected in the result: its popular vote rose to 65.6%, and it took 87 of 97 seats, while the opposition [Workers' Party](https://www.edgepedia.org/workers-party-singapore) retained its 10 seats[5](https://apnews.com/article/56abe5205c784c575fd5550b979c461f). The new Cabinet was sworn in on 23 May 2025[9](https://www.pmo.gov.sg/about-us/the-cabinet/), and the First Session of the 15th Parliament opened on 5 September 2025, when President Tharman Shanmugaratnam set out the government's priorities[10](https://www.gov.sg/parliament/).\n\n## How the election will be conducted\n\n**Constituencies.** Singapore's electoral divisions take two forms. Each Single Member Constituency returns one MP; each Group Representation Constituency returns a team of three to six candidates from the same party or standing as independents, at least one of whom must belong to the Malay community or the Indian and other minority communities[7](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_type_electoral.html). The GRC system was introduced at the 1988 general election to ensure minority representation in Parliament, and the law requires that at least one quarter of all MPs come from GRCs[11](https://www.eld.gov.sg/70th_milestones.html) • [7](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_type_electoral.html). At the 2025 election there were 18 GRCs and 15 SMCs[6](https://www.parliament.gov.sg/visit-learn/educational-resources).\n\n**Sequence.** The election period begins when the President, on the Prime Minister's advice, dissolves Parliament and issues the Writ of Election. Nomination day falls between five days and one month after the writ; if only one candidate or one team stands nominated in a division, it is returned unopposed, a walkover. Campaigning runs until Cooling-off Day, the day before polling, when campaigning is prohibited for 24 hours. Polling day is a public holiday, and polls run from 8 am to 8 pm[1](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_parliamentary.html).\n\n**Money and seats.** Campaign spending is capped at $5 for each elector in an SMC, and at that amount divided by the number of candidates for a GRC team. Candidates must file returns of election expenses within 31 days of the results being gazetted. Parliament also seats Non-Constituency MPs from opposition parties that polled the highest losing vote shares; the maximum number is 12 minus the total number of elected opposition MPs[1](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_parliamentary.html).\n\n**Rolls and boundaries.** The Registers of Electors are compiled by electoral division based on voters' addresses; the current registers listed 2,753,226 electors as of 1 February 2025[7](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_type_electoral.html) • [8](https://www.eld.gov.sg/faq_voters.html). Before each election, an Electoral Boundaries Review Committee reviews and redraws the electoral map to account for population shifts and housing development; for the 2025 election the committee was convened in January 2025 and its report released in March, creating new constituencies such as Punggol GRC and Jalan Kayu SMC[12](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/big-read/ge2025-state-play-opposition-multi-cornered-5056881).\n\n## Timing of the next election\n\nThe Parliament elected in May 2025 will sit for up to five years, and the following general election must be held within three months of its dissolution, whenever the Prime Minister of the day advises it[1](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_parliamentary.html). The next nationwide vote on the electoral calendar is the Presidential Election, due in 2029[8](https://www.eld.gov.sg/faq_voters.html).\n\n## Assessments of the framework\n\n[Freedom House](https://www.edgepedia.org/freedom-house), which rates Singapore Partly Free with a score of 48 out of 100 in its 2025 report, describes elections as largely free of fraud but unfair in structure, citing advantages enjoyed by the PAP including a pro-government media sector, the GRC system, high financial barriers to candidacy, and legal restrictions on free speech. It also notes that Singapore lacks an independent election commission: the Elections Department is a government body attached to the Prime Minister's Office[13](https://freedomhouse.org/country/singapore/freedom-world/2025). International observers have separately described Singapore's elections as free from irregularities and vote rigging, and its government as among the least corrupt in the world[14](https://knowledge.csc.gov.sg/ethos-issue-06/singapores-political-economy-two-paradoxes/).\n\nThe opposition landscape entering the next cycle is more crowded than in past decades. Since 2020, new formations such as the People's Alliance for Reform and the Singapore United Party have emerged, and the 2025 election saw extensive negotiation, and some unresolved multi-cornered contests, among opposition parties over which of them would challenge the PAP in each constituency[12](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/big-read/ge2025-state-play-opposition-multi-cornered-5056881).\n\n## References\n\n1. [ELD | Parliamentary Elections, Elections Department Singapore](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_parliamentary.html)\n2. [Singapore's long-ruling party seeks stronger election victory in test for new prime minister, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/707a5957751dd3eb96320c41aa4d28d4)\n3. [General Election 2025, IMDA](https://www.imda.gov.sg/resources/press-releases-factsheets-and-speeches/factsheets/2025/general-election-2025)\n4. [Singapore dissolves parliament, paving the way for May 3 general election, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/30486264a84bada87ab9fc12410b7da1)\n5. [Singapore's long-ruling party wins another landslide in election boost for new prime minister, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/56abe5205c784c575fd5550b979c461f)\n6. [PARL | Educational Resources, Parliament of Singapore](https://www.parliament.gov.sg/visit-learn/educational-resources)\n7. [ELD | Types of Electoral Divisions, Elections Department Singapore](https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_type_electoral.html)\n8. [ELD | Voter FAQs, Elections Department Singapore](https://www.eld.gov.sg/faq_voters.html)\n9. [The Cabinet, Prime Minister's Office Singapore](https://www.pmo.gov.sg/about-us/the-cabinet/)\n10. [Singapore Parliament: Updates from Parliament Sittings, gov.sg](https://www.gov.sg/parliament/)\n11. [ELD | Milestones, Elections Department Singapore](https://www.eld.gov.sg/70th_milestones.html)\n12. [GE2025: With a large number of multi-cornered fights on the cards, will this play into PAP's hands?, CNA](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/big-read/ge2025-state-play-opposition-multi-cornered-5056881)\n13. [Singapore: Freedom in the World 2025 Country Report, Freedom House](https://freedomhouse.org/country/singapore/freedom-world/2025)\n14. [Singapore's Political Economy: Two Paradoxes, CSC Knowledge](https://knowledge.csc.gov.sg/ethos-issue-06/singapores-political-economy-two-paradoxes/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Elections and representation › Elections and referendums › National and subnational elections outside the US and UK › Asian election events › South and Southeast Asian elections › Southeast Asian elections*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/next-singaporean-general-election-ep52cv724d", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/next-singaporean-general-election-ep52cv724d.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Next Singaporean general election\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/next-singaporean-general-election-ep52cv724d. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Next Singaporean general election](https://www.edgepedia.org/next-singaporean-general-election-ep52cv724d)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/next-singaporean-general-election-ep52cv724d](https://www.edgepedia.org/next-singaporean-general-election-ep52cv724d). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Next Singaporean general election\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/next-singaporean-general-election-ep52cv724d. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Next Singaporean general election: the parliamentary vote following the 3 May 2025 election, due within three months of the 15th Parliament's dissolution under the five-year term, using 97 seats across GRCs and SMCs with compulsory voting." }