Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz
SINGAPORE, April 23 (Bernama) -- Nominations for Singapore’s General Election (GE2025) will begin on Wednesday morning, with the final list of eligible candidates expected to be confirmed around noon, once the proceedings conclude.
Nine nomination centres across the country will open at 10 am, with candidate submissions scheduled to begin at 11 am. Police have advised all candidates to arrive early to ensure a smooth process.
Jurong-Pioneer Junior College is expected to be among the key locations, serving as the nomination centre for Marsiling–Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC), Chua Chu Kang GRC, and Bukit Gombak Single Member Constituency (SMC).
Both Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong are expected to file their nomination papers at the centre for their respective GRCs.
Wong, who is the secretary-general of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), will lead his team in defending Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC, while Gan and his team is set to contest in Chua Chu Kang GRC. Each GRC carries four parliamentary seats currently held by the PAP.
Another closely watched constituency is the five-member East Coast GRC. It remains uncertain whether Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat will stand for re-election there.
Two incumbent MPs from East Coast GRC -- Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman and Cheryl Chan -- have already announced their retirement from politics.
Observers anticipate some surprises on nomination day, with several political parties keeping their candidate lists for key constituencies closely guarded until the very last moment.
The main opposition Workers’ Party (WP) has yet to confirm whether its secretary-general Pritam Singh and the incumbent team for Aljunied GRC -- considered a party stronghold -- will remain there or be fielded in other constituencies.
Campaigning will begin after the nomination process concludes. The campaign period will run for nine days, before a cooling-off day on May 2.
Polling is scheduled for May 3.
Candidates planning to hold election meetings or rallies must obtain a police permit. These events can only begin from the day after nomination day at the earliest.
In GE2020, 11 political parties and one independent candidate contested, with the PAP securing 83 seats and the WP winning 10.
GE2025, the first for Wong as prime minister and PAP chief is expected to see contests for all 97 seats across 33 constituencies -- comprising 18 GRCs and 15 SMCs.
-- BERNAMA
