Singapore dissolves parliament ahead of imminent election

SINGAPORE: Singapore's parliament was dissolved on Tuesday ahead of a general election to be held within three months, a government gazette said.

The vote will be the first electoral test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who took over from long-time premier Lee Hsien Loong as leader of the People's Action Party in May 2024.

The PAP is almost certain to dominate and win most seats, as it has in every vote since independence in 1965, although its share of the popular vote will be closely watched after one of its worst electoral performances in the last contest in 2020.

The election will take place amid a gloomy economic outlook as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs threaten to hit activity in the trade-reliant nation, which on Monday downgraded its growth forecast for 2025 to 0% to 2%, from 1% to 3%.

The ruling party's popularity has dimmed in recent elections as the opposition steadily gained more ground in parliament, winning an unprecedented 6 seats in 2011 and 2015, and 10 in 2020.

The upcoming election will have four more seats compared to the last vote in 2020, with 97 lawmakers elected from 15 single-member electoral divisions and 18 divisions with 4 or 5 members each.

In February, Wong delivered what analysts called "a full-blown election budget" with goodies for all Singaporeans ahead of the polls.