Lee Hsien Loong in the context of "Lee Kuan Yew"

The history of the Republic of Singapore began when Singapore was expelled from Malaysia and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965. After the separation, the fledgling nation had to become self-sufficient, but was faced with problems including mass unemployment, housing shortages, and a lack of land and natural resources, such as petroleum. During Lee Kuan Yew's term as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, his government curbed unemployment, raised the standard of living and implemented a large-scale public housing programme. The country's economic infrastructure was developed, racial tension was eliminated and an independent national defence system was established. Singapore evolved from a third world nation to first world nation towards the end of the 20th century.

In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as prime minister. During his tenure, the country tackled the economic impacts of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2003 SARS outbreak, as well as terrorist threats posed by the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) post-9/11 and the Bali bombings. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister. In 2024, Lee was succeeded by Lawrence Wong as prime minister.

Following the devastation of the United States and Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sent his personal letter of condolences to U.S. President George W. Bush while the Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo sent his personal letter of condolences to the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, promising support for the American people in their relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai (born 18 December 1972) is a Singaporean politician who has served as the fourth prime minister of Singapore since 2024 and the minister of finance since 2021. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been a member of Parliament (MP) for the Limbang division of Marsiling–Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2015. He had previously represented the Boon Lay division of West Coast GRC between 2011 and 2015.

Prior to entering politics, Wong worked at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Ministry of Health (MOH). He was the principal private secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong between 2005 and 2008. He also served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Energy Market Authority (EMA) between 2009 and 2011. Wong made his political debut in the 2011 general election where he contested in West Coast GRC as part of a five-member PAP team and won. Wong subsequently contested in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC during the 2015 general election, and retained his parliamentary seat in the 2020 general election. Prior to his appointment as Minister of Finance, Wong served as the minister of culture, community and youth between 2012 and 2015, second minister of communications and information between 2014 and 2015, minister of national development between 2015 and 2020, second minister of finance between 2016 and 2021, and minister of education between 2020 and 2021.

The 2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit, commonly known as the Singapore Summit, was a summit meeting between North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, held at the Capella Hotel, Sentosa, Singapore, on June 12, 2018. It was the first-ever meeting between leaders of North Korea and the United States. They signed a joint statement, agreeing to security guarantees for North Korea, new peaceful relations, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, recovery of soldiers' remains, and follow-up negotiations between high-level officials. Both leaders also met separately with then Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Immediately following the summit, Trump announced that the U.S. military would discontinue "provocative" joint military exercises with South Korea, and stated that he wished to bring the U.S. soldiers back home at some point, but reinforced that it was not part of the Singapore equation. On August 1, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed the military budget bill for 2019, forbidding funding the reduction of active United States Forces Korea personnel below 22,000; significant removal of US forces was considered a non-negotiable item in denuclearization talks with the North.

The Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency is a five-member group representation constituency (GRC) in north-eastern Singapore. It has five divisions: Ang Mo Kio–Hougang, Buangkok–Fernvale South, Cheng San, Seletar–Serangoon and Teck Ghee, managed by Ang Mo Kio Town Council. The current Members of Parliament (MPs) for the constituency are Darryl David, Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Jasmin Lau, Victor Lye and Lee Hsien Loong from the governing People's Action Party (PAP).

General elections were held in Singapore on 7 May 2011 to elect members of Parliament. They were the thirteenth general elections since the introduction of self-government in 1959 and the eleventh since independence in 1965. President S.R. Nathan dissolved parliament on 19 April on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong three weeks before the election. The number of elected seats was increased from 84 to 87 from the previous election. This was the second election contested by Lee as prime minister.

The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) achieved a landslide victory in the election, retaining its supermajority. Nevertheless, the election saw historic gains for the opposition in Singapore's political landscape. For the second consecutive election, the PAP did not return to government on nomination day. It also marked the first and only three-cornered contest since 2001, which was held at Punggol East Single Member Constituency (SMC). Described as a "watershed" election, it saw the highest proportion of contested seats since independence, excluding the five seats in Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC). This election also marked Lee Kuan Yew's final election before his death in 2015.

General elections were held in Singapore on 11 September 2015 to elect members of Parliament. They were the fourteenth general elections since the introduction of self-government in 1959 and the twelfth since independence in 1965. President Tony Tan dissolved parliament on 25 August on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong three weeks before the election. The number of elected seats was increased from 87 to 89 from the previous election. This was the third election contested by Lee as prime minister.

The election was held a few months after the death of Lee Kuan Yew in March, who was a founding father of the country and a key figure in its development as a nation. His passing was widely seen as strengthening public support for the governing People's Action Party (PAP) as the national mood of remembrance and unity grew. The government also focused heavily on SG50 celebrations, which marked Singapore's golden jubilee of independence and stirred strong feelings of patriotism. The election was called earlier than expected, several months before the anticipated 2016 timeline. As a result, the 12th Parliament (2011–2015) ended sooner than usual, making it the shortest term since the 7th Parliament (1989–1991).

General elections were held in Singapore on 10 July 2020 to elect members of Parliament. They were the fifteenth general elections since the introduction of self-government in 1959 and the thirtheenth since independence in 1965. Parliament was dissolved and the general election called by President Halimah Yacob on 23 June, on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The number of elected seats was increased from 89 to 93 from the previous election.

The election was significantly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, which became a central issue in the campaign. The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) emphasised its management of the crisis, including securing supplies of face masks and ramping up testing. In contrast, opposition parties criticised the government's handling of the pandemic, particularly the high number of COVID-19 cases in foreign worker dormitories and the Ministry of Health's reversal of its guidance on mask usage. Beyond the pandemic, other key issues that emerged during the election included the cost of living, housing affordability, population growth and immigration policies. The election also featured constituency political broadcasts, a televised programme hosted by Mediacorp, which replaced physical rallies that were suspended as part of social distancing measures.

General elections were held in Singapore on 3 May 2025 to elect members of Parliament. They were the sixteenth general elections since the introduction of self-government in 1959 and the fourteenth since independence in 1965. It was also the first election under prime minister Lawrence Wong, who succeeded Lee Hsien Loong in May 2024 and as secretary-general of the governing People's Action Party (PAP) that December. News outlets described this election as "a key test of public confidence" in Wong. The 14th Parliament was dissolved on 15 April, with Nomination Day being 23 April. A record 211 candidates contested the election, including 53 women, the highest number of female candidates in Singapore's history. The number of elected seats was increased from 93 to 97 from the previous election.

The parties focused their campaigns on the cost of living, with opposition parties pushing for reductions or exemptions in the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The opposition also called for reforms to public housing policies. Additionally, parties such as the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and the People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) advocated for stricter immigration controls. The PAP focused its campaign on constituency-level achievements and emphasised policy discussions, marking a stark contrast to previous elections where personal attacks and national-level rhetoric had played a more prominent role. The elections also saw attempted foreign interference, especially by politicians from the Malaysian Islamic Party.