On May 15, 2024, at the Istana, Singapore’s fourth prime minister Lawrence Wong took his oath of office and was officially sworn in, taking over from prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. This political transition is significant for a host of different reasons, and so, across two episodes, we take a deeper dive with Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan of Hong Kong Baptist University. We look back, and we look ahead. We look back, across Singapore’s first three prime ministers or three generations of leadership. We then look ahead to three potential electoral scenarios for Mr. Wong and his ruling People’s Action Party or PAP.

About four years ago, in the lead up to GE2020 as well as halfway through the pandemic election, author Loke Hoe-Yeong shared about the electoral strategies of Singapore’s opposition parties. Now, four years later, we’ve invited him back. We start with a brief reflection of GE2020 and its aftermath, before turning most of our attention to three of the main opposition parties in Singapore: the Workers’ Party, the Progress Singapore Party, and the Singapore Democratic Party. And after a quick primer on the NCMP or non-constituency member of parliament scheme, we briefly discuss what Hoe-Yeong describes as the coalitions of electoral losers.

Singapore’s next general election must be held by November 2025, which is still some time away. But whether it is GE2024 or GE2025, with plenty of time and space, we’d like to use the next few months (or the next year) to discuss key election issues with experts and voters. For us, “Before the Ballot” provides that space.