SINGAPORE — Singaporeans are casting their ballots Saturday to elect their representatives to the country’s unicameral parliament for the next five-year term.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s ruling Peoples’ Action Party, which has governed the country since its independence in 1965, is widely expected to retain its majority. However, the focus is on how much support it will garner, especially with the country facing multiple pressing challenges from global trade worries to the rising cost of living. In the last election, in 2020, the PAP’s vote share dropped to 61.2%, the second worst in history.
A total of 97 seats are up for grabs this time, with five seats already taken by the PAP as opposition parties did not contest one of the five-member group representation constituencies.
Voting will close at 8 p.m., local time, and we expect rough results to be known a few hours thereafter.
Follow all the key developments with us here on our live blog. And check out the rest of our election coverage, including these highlights:
Singapore election: Fiery campaign pits stability vs. scrutiny
Lee Hsien Loong makes his presence felt in Singapore elections
Singapore’s main opposition squares up for tough election
Singapore’s former PM-in-waiting Heng not running in election
Singapore’s young voters weigh priorities as campaign kicks off
Singapore heads into election as tariff worries build: 5 things to know
Here’s the latest (Singapore time):
7:00 p.m. Voters have one more hour to cast their ballots. After polling closes at 8:00 p.m., ballot boxes are moved from polling stations to the counting centers. The boxes are opened in front of election candidates and their agents, who will observe the counting process. Results of sample counting are expected two to three hours after polling has closed. Final results for each constituency are expected to come in around midnight or later.
While we are waiting, check the box below for some tidbits on Singapore’s electoral system.
Singapore’s electoral system explained
- Group Representation Constituency (GRC): Singapore’s general election relies on a first-past-the-post system. What is unique is the GRC system, where each party fields a group of candidates, including at least one of non-Chinese ethnicity, and the winner takes all the seats. Political observers say it could benefit larger parties with a stronger capability in recruiting candidates. In this election, there are 18 GRCs, with the remaining 15 being Single Member Constituencies (SMCs), in which each party fields one candidate.
- Electoral Boundaries Review: The boundaries are reviewed every election by the government’s Electoral Boundaries Review Committee, to reflect population shifts. Following the latest review, the number of constituencies increased by two, and the total number of seats in parliament was raised by four.
- Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP): Apart from elected members of parliament, there are schemes in place for unelected members to take part in parliament debates, even though they did not win electoral victories. For example, “best losers” from the opposition can enter parliament via the NCMP initiative. However, the opposition has highlighted the limitations of this scheme since NCMPs do not officially represent voters in any constituency.
