PAP re-elects 14 members to its top leadership body

[SINGAPORE] The PAP re-elected its top leadership, with no new names among the 14 members of its central executive committee (CEC) announced on Oct 25.

After the vote during the party’s biennial conference that morning, party chairman Desmond Lee announced the top 12 vote-getters, a list that for the first time included Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat.

He had been co-opted to the previous CEC in 2024 and held the position of assistant treasurer.

The other 11 were Lawrence Wong, Lee Hsien Loong, Chan Chun Sing, Masagos Zulkifli, K. Shanmugam, Grace Fu, Edwin Tong, Indranee Rajah, Ong Ye Kung, Vivian Balakrishnan and Desmond Lee.

Desmond Lee also announced that ministers Tan See Leng and Zaqy Mohamad were co-opted into the leadership body, by party custom, as the next two highest vote-getters outside of the top 12.

All 14 were on an earlier list of 19 candidates released by the party for cadres to consider at the vote that morning.

The five others included first-term ministers Jeffrey Siow and Jasmin Lau, who had made it onto the list of recommended candidates for the first time.

The other three were Alex Yam, Sim Ann and Josephine Teo.

Siow and Lau, who are first-term MPs elected at the 2025 general election, were two of three new to the list of 19 recommended candidates.

The other was Zaqy, who is Acting minister-in-charge for Muslim Affairs. Siow is Transport Minister and Lau is Acting Manpower Minister.

Siow and Lau were promoted at a Cabinet reshuffle in July, and Zaqy was appointed acting minister days before that.

Zaqy was co-opted into the previous CEC then, but was not on the list of candidates for the previous vote in 2024.

On Oct 25, seven candidates out of the list of 19 were marked out on ballot papers given to cadres.

They were: Wong, Lee Hsien Loong, Desmond Lee, Chan, Masagos, Shanmugam and Fu.

The 2026 list of 19 candidates was the same as the list from the previous party election in 2024, except for the three new names and three who were not on the 2026 list – Heng Swee Keat, Desmond Tan and Janil Puthucheary.

More than 2,000 cadres, who form the party’s inner circle, cast their votes at the party’s biennial conference held at the Singapore Expo on Oct 25.

This is not the CEC’s final composition.

At its first meeting, it traditionally decides on appointments such as chairman and treasurer among its members, and usually co-opts another four members to reach its maximum size of 18.

Independent political analyst Felix Tan said the election’s outcome suggests that the party has chosen continuity and stability over a more immediate refresh of its senior leadership for now.

Managing director at strategic advisory firm BowerGroupAsia Singapore Nydia Ngiow said that while third generation leaders were retained in the new committee, the nomination of Siow and Lau brought its possible fifth generation into the picture, she said. “Neither was elected, but it is significant that they were put forward in their first term in Parliament. It marks them as the party’s current bright stars and the ones expected to lead the newer cohort at this time,” she said. Tan said the pair’s inclusion suggests that there is some support within the party for newer and fresher faces. But the results also suggest that PAP cadres are not yet ready for too much change, particularly amid the current regional and global uncertainties. “The preference, for now at least, appears to be for continuity and experience rather than accelerating leadership renewal within the CEC,” he said. But missing the ballot also does not close the door to the pair, since the CEC usually co-opts additional members later, Ngiow noted. “Expect more appointments in the coming weeks as the full committee takes shape.” THE STRAITS TIMES