SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will take the central seat in Parliament’s front row when the 15th term opens on 5 September, 2025, flanked by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam.
The updated seating arrangement was released by Parliament on 21 August and reflects a new configuration of front-row leadership following the May general election.
In the previous term, PM Wong had been seated between Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and then-DPM Heng Swee Keat.
Now, Gan Kim Yong takes the seat to his right, while Shanmugam is seated to his left, with the remaining Cabinet ministers occupying the 18-seat front row.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who is also Leader of the House, sits closest to the Speaker on the government side.
Workers’ Party leader directly opposite Prime Minister
Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh is seated directly across from PM Wong, in line with the parliamentary practice modelled on the Westminster system.
Sitting behind Singh in the second row are Workers’ Party chair Sylvia Lim and Aljunied MP Gerald Giam on one side and He Ting Ru and Dennis Tan on the other. Together with Singh, they are the only opposition MPs clearly visible in the official livestream, even though fellow second-row MPs He and Tan fall outside the camera frame.
The rest of the front row on the left side of the Speaker is filled by PAP backbenchers who chair the 12 Government Parliamentary Committees (GPCs). Labour chief Ng Chee Meng is also part of this group.
Seating arrangement reflects rank and tenure
As per long-standing tradition, government MPs are seated to the right of the Speaker, with the most senior office-holders occupying the front bench.
Immediately behind the Cabinet ministers sit senior ministers of state, followed by ministers of state and parliamentary secretaries. First-term MPs and backbenchers fill the remaining seats further back on the same side.
Opposition and non-office-holding PAP MPs fill the left side of the chamber. Behind the WP front row, elected MPs and Non-Constituency MPs (NCMPs) are placed, with NCMPs Eileen Chong and Andre Low seated at the end of the third row.
Thirteen seats, mostly in the fourth row, remain unoccupied and are likely to be filled by Nominated MPs (NMPs) once appointed. Up to nine NMPs may be selected for a 2.5-year term.
These appointments will follow a selection process involving public and group nominations, expected to begin after Parliament reconvenes.
Singapore’s largest Parliament to date
The 15th Parliament will comprise 99 MPs – the highest number in Singapore’s history. Of these, 97 were elected at the 3 May general election, while two were appointed as NCMPs.
Among the 87 PAP MPs, 24 are newly elected, replacing 20 who retired before the polls. The WP has 12 members – its largest contingent to date – including five new faces.
The WP’s gains include two NCMP positions, reflecting the party’s continuing expansion in both electoral strength and parliamentary presence.
Opening session on 5 September
Parliament will convene at 5pm on 5 September. All MPs will be officially sworn in, and the Speaker of Parliament will be elected.
Seah Kian Peng, who has served as Speaker since 2023, will be nominated for re-election.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam is scheduled to deliver the President’s Address on the same day. The speech, presented on behalf of the Government, will outline its legislative priorities and vision for the new term.
A debate on the address will be held from 22 to 26 September.
The post New Parliament seating plan places Lawrence Wong at centre of front bench appeared first on The Online Citizen.
