SINGAPORE, April 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Singapore's parliament was dissolved on Tuesday, the government said, ahead of an upcoming national election seen as a crucial test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Last year Wong succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, ushering in a new era after decades of leadership by the influential Lee family.

"President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, on the advice of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, has dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, 15 April 2025," a government statement said.

Nomination day has been set for April 23, and the Elections Department will announce the polling date later on Tuesday, it added.

A total of 97 seats are at stake in this election, four more than the previous parliament, with most seats coming from a bloc voting system the opposition says favours the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), in power since 1959.

The main opposition Workers' Party, which stunned the nation when it won 10 of the 93 seats contested in the 2020 elections, is expected to build on that momentum and make more inroads.

Other smaller opposition parties are also expected to contest at the polls.

The election comes as US President Donald Trump's trade war threatens the world order instrumental to Singapore's rapid economic prosperity.

Although Trump imposed the baseline 10 percent tariffs on Singapore, the city-state is vulnerable to a global economic slowdown caused by the much higher levies on other countries because of its heavy reliance on international trade.