Next general election crucial: Singapore PM

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday that the next general election will be very important as it must produce a line-up of leaders who can take over from him and his senior Cabinet colleagues.

According to Channel NewsAsia reports, Lee Hsien Loong, who is also the secretary general of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), said at the party's convention on Sunday morning that by 2011 or 2012, the country will have a full slate of leaders who can form a strong, clean and able government to take the nation forward for the next 20 years, and this would instill confidence in the country's future among investors and Singaporeans.

The ruling party has already identified some promising candidates and potential office-holders - mainly in their thirties and forties - for the next general election, which is due by February 2012, Lee added.

The last general election in 2006 had brought in 24 new Members of Parliament (MPs) and that was a major step in self-renewal, he said, adding that the new MPs have done well and have established themselves with Singapore voters.

The PAP, which has been in power since Singapore gained its independence from Malaysia in 1965, currently holds 82 out of 84 parliamentary seats.

Source: Xinhua