The political framework of Singapore

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: THARMAN Shanmugaratnam (since 14 September 2023)
Prime Minister: Minister Lawrence WONG (since 15 May 2024)

Next Election Dates

Presidential: 2029

Main Political Parties

Although Singapore is a multi-party nation, the centre-right Parti d'action populaire (PAP) has dominated its legislature since 1959 and continues to hold an overwhelming majority of the single-chamber parliament.

Opposition parties are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power. Some opposition groups include:
- Workers' Party of Singapore (WP): centre-left, opposition party with the most seats
- Progress Singapore Party (PSP): centre-right
- Singapore Democratic Party (SDP): a liberal-democratic party.

Executive Power

The President of Singapore is the Head of State, and the role is largely ceremonial, though the President retains some discretionary powers in areas such as financial reserves and key public service appointments. After legislative elections, the President appoints the leader of the majority party or coalition as Prime Minister, who serves as the head of Government. The Prime Minister, along with the Cabinet, holds executive powers, including implementing laws and overseeing the day-to-day administration of the country.

Legislative Power

The legislature is unicameral in Singapore. The Parliament consists of up to 105 seats: ninety-three are elected by the people while up to 12 Non-constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP) and up to nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP) may be appointed. After the 2020 general election, 93 MPs were elected and two NCMPs were appointed (or, in the terms of the Parliamentary Elections Act, declared elected) to Parliament. While Parliament technically oversees the actions of the government and expresses its support through mechanisms like votes of confidence, the dominant-party system means the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) typically has strong control over legislative processes.

Indicator of Political Freedom

Political Freedom:

4/7