Will GE be called this year? Still a lot of work to be done at home and abroad, says PM Wong

KUALA LUMPUR – There is still a lot of work to be done domestically and externally to take Singapore forward, and the general election will be called at an appropriate time, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on June 12.

He was responding to a question on whether people should expect a general election this year, during an interview with the Singapore media on his introductory visits to Brunei and Malaysia on June 11 and 12.

Since PM Wong took office in May, there has been speculation that the upcoming general election, due by November 2025, may be called this year – as early as September.

The first step on the road to an election is the formation of a committee to review electoral boundaries. In early June, the Elections Department said the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) had not been convened.

On June 12, PM Wong said: “Eventually, at the time that we decide it’s appropriate, and an election has to be called, people will know. Same for the EBRC. Eventually, when it is convened and it has done its work, people will know, and then I suppose everyone will get ready for the elections.

“But for now, there’s still a lot of work to be done, both for our own domestic agenda and also for me… to engage with our external partners and to take Singapore forward.”

On whether his busy schedule means that there may not be an election this year, PM Wong ticked off the dates of major international summits that will take place in the second half of the year. 

They include meetings such as the Asean Summit in Laos from Oct 6 to 11, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Peru from Nov 13 to 15, and the Group of 20 Summit in Brazil from Nov 18 to 19.

“Well, the calendar is quite clear. These meetings are not secret meetings… You know when they are held in the calendar this year,” PM Wong said.

“So you can already mark out which are the dates when I will be busy, when I will be away, and which are the dates when I will be in Singapore,” he added.

“So it’s really for people to speculate.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.