A FRESH MANDATE FOR TROUBLED TIMES?
The first window for the pivotal general election is September 2024 after Mr Wong delivers his first National Day Rally. This gives Mr Wong no more than five months as Prime Minister to make a compelling case to Singaporeans for a fresh electoral mandate.
There appears to be some urgency on the part of the ruling PAP to go to the polls, given the deteriorating global geopolitical situation, especially after Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel over the weekend. An electoral mandate for the next five years before things spiral will enable Singaporeans to be clear-eyed about the issues and challenges that the country faces and decide which party is best placed to form the government.
We already saw this line of thinking in the 2020 General Election, held weeks after Singapore emerged from its COVID-19 circuit breaker. Mr Lee has said that the strong mandate allowed the government to make tough calls during the pandemic.
Amid the spike in global tensions and insecurities, the PAP will seek to impress upon voters that it is well tried-and-tested in security and defence matters and can be trusted to lead in treacherous times.
But the accelerated handover does not foreclose the possibility of the election taking place in mid-2025, such as after Budget 2025. It gives the PAP and Mr Wong more options as to when to call the election.
