SINGAPORE – Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has retained its senior leadership in the latest Central Executive Committee (CEC) election, with ministers Tan See Leng and Zaqy Mohamad co-opted into the body under party custom as the next two highest vote-getters outside the top 12.
Desmond Lee announced the co-option, bringing the committee to 14 returning members from its previous composition. The leaders were selected from an earlier list of 19 candidates put before party cadres during the vote.
The five candidates who did not secure election included first-term ministers Jeffrey Siow and Jasmin Lau, who appeared on the recommended candidates list for the first time. The other three were Alex Yam, Sim Ann and Josephine Teo.
Siow, the Transport Minister, and Lau, the Acting Manpower Minister, were elected to Parliament in 2025 and promoted during a Cabinet reshuffle in July. Zaqy, Acting Minister-in-charge for Muslim Affairs, was appointed acting minister shortly before the reshuffle and had been co-opted into the previous CEC.
On Oct 25, seven candidates were marked out on ballot papers given to cadres: Wong, Lee Hsien Loong, Desmond Lee, Chan, Masagos, Shanmugam and Fu.
The 2026 list of 19 candidates was largely unchanged from the previous party election in 2024, apart from three new names — Siow, Lau and Zaqy — and the absence of Heng Swee Keat, Desmond Tan and Janil Puthucheary.
More than 2,000 PAP cadres, who form the party’s inner circle, voted at the party’s biennial conference at Singapore Expo on Oct 25.
The CEC’s final composition has yet to be decided. At its first meeting, the committee traditionally appoints office holders such as chairman and treasurer and usually co-opts four additional members to reach its maximum strength of 18.
Independent political analyst Felix Tan said the result indicates that the party has chosen continuity and stability over an immediate refresh of its senior leadership.
Nydia Ngiow, managing director at strategic advisory firm BowerGroupAsia Singapore, said that although third-generation leaders were retained, the nomination of Siow and Lau signals the emergence of a possible fifth generation of PAP leadership.
“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 their inclusion reflects some internal support for newer faces, but the outcome also suggests PAP cadres are not yet prepared for sweeping change amid regional and global uncertainty.
“The preference, for now at least, appears to be for continuity and experience rather than accelerating leadership renewal within the CEC,” Tan said.
Missing the ballot does not end Siow and Lau’s prospects, as the CEC typically co-opts additional members later. “Expect more appointments in the coming weeks as the full committee takes shape,” Ngiow said.