El marc polític de Singapur

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: Mrs. Halimah Yacob (since 14 September 2017)
Prime Minister: LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004, reelected 10 July 2020) - PAP

Next Election Dates

Presidential: 2023
Parliamentary: 2025

Current Political Context

Even though it won 83 out of 95 seats, the People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed the country since independence in 1965, came out relatively weakened in the July 2020 general election, where it won 61% of the vote, down from 70% in 2015. The biggest opposition group, the Workers' Party, had its best result to date, winning 10 seats. Although he initially promised he would step down from power before he turned 70 in February 2022, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, son of founding statesman Lee Kwan Yew, has eventually said he will not resign until the economic and health crisis is resolved. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the Singapore economy has been broad and significant since 2020, affecting different sectors of the economy to varying degrees. The country has injected an aggregated 73.7 billion USD stimulus into the economy, its biggest in history. Despite social restrictions and border closures, Singapore's economy returned to growth in 2021 and 2022.

The ruling People's Action Party will remain dominant, although the influence of opposition parties on policy will rise. The finance minister, Lawrence Wong, is set to succeed the prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, in 2025 or 2026, with the next general election serving as a referendum on his popularity.

Main Political Parties

Although Singapore is a multi-party nation, the centre-right People's Action Party (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:
- Singapore Democratic Party (SDP): a liberal democratic party
- Workers' Party of Singapore (WP): centre-left, opposition party with the most seats
- Progress Singapore Party (centre-right)

Executive Power

The President of Singapore is the head of State. The role of the President is largely ceremonial. Following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed Prime Minister by the President as head of the Government. The Prime Minister enjoys all of the executive powers, which include implementation of the law and running day-to-day affairs.

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. Parliament controls the action of the government. This depends on the support of parliament, often expressed by a vote of confidence.

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

World Rank:

160/180

Indicator of Political Freedom

Ranking:

Partly Free

Political Freedom:

4/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House