
First session of Singapore's 15th Parliament to open on 5 September
Singapore's 15th Parliament will convene for its first session on 5 September at 5 pm, announced Leader of the House Indranee Rajah on 13 June.
This follows the general election held on 3 May which brought in the new government.
The session will begin with the election of the Speaker of Parliament, followed by the swearing-in of new Members of Parliament.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will deliver the opening address, outlining the government's priorities, policies and programmes.
Indranee Rajah stated this address is vital to define strategies and key policies as Singapore navigates a challenging geopolitical climate and economic uncertainties.
She emphasised it will help secure a brighter future for Singaporeans and the nation.
Debates on the President's Address will take place from 22 to 26 September.
During this period, ministries will release their addenda to detail how they will contribute to the national agenda.
In a Facebook post, Indranee Rajah noted that while MPs are active in constituency work, parliamentary business formally begins after the official opening.
She added that her role includes coordinating with Parliament on these arrangements.

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AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Singapore's 15th parliament to open on Sept 5, Singapore News
Singapore's 15th Parliament will hold its first session on Sept 5 at 5pm. The sitting would commence with the election of the Speaker and the swearing-in of Members of the Parliament (MP) who were elected during General Election 2025, said Leader of the House Indranee Rajah in a media release on Friday (June 13). Seah Kian Peng has been serving as Speaker since 2023. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will then deliver his opening address, where he will outline the priorities, policies and programmes of the Government. Debates on the President's Address will subsequently occur between Sept 22 and 26. The 14th Parliament was dissolved on April 15 ahead of the General Election on May 3. The 15th Parliament will have 99 MPs consisting of 97 elected MPs and two Non-Constituency MPs comprising Andre Low and Eileen Chong from the Workers' Party. Indranee also posted about the upcoming Parliament session on Facebook, noting: "While MPs are already on the ground doing their constituency work, the parliamentary work begins only after the Official Opening of Parliament. "As Leader of the House, one of my responsibilities is to liaise with Parliament on the arrangement of Parliamentary business." She shared further that "work is currently ongoing" about outlining the Government's agenda for the new term, which will be discussed in the President Tharman's address. "The President's Address will set out our strategies and key policies to steer Singapore through the current challenging geopolitical climate and economic uncertainties, and secure a brighter future ahead for Singaporeans and our nation," Indranee added. [[nid:718283]] drimac@


Online Citizen
18 hours ago
- Online Citizen
First session of Singapore's 15th Parliament to open on 5 September
Singapore's 15th Parliament will convene for its first session on 5 September at 5 pm, announced Leader of the House Indranee Rajah on 13 June. This follows the general election held on 3 May which brought in the new government. The session will begin with the election of the Speaker of Parliament, followed by the swearing-in of new Members of Parliament. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will deliver the opening address, outlining the government's priorities, policies and programmes. Indranee Rajah stated this address is vital to define strategies and key policies as Singapore navigates a challenging geopolitical climate and economic uncertainties. She emphasised it will help secure a brighter future for Singaporeans and the nation. Debates on the President's Address will take place from 22 to 26 September. During this period, ministries will release their addenda to detail how they will contribute to the national agenda. In a Facebook post, Indranee Rajah noted that while MPs are active in constituency work, parliamentary business formally begins after the official opening. She added that her role includes coordinating with Parliament on these arrangements.


CNA
18 hours ago
- CNA
Polish President Duda concludes state visit to Singapore to reaffirm bilateral and business ties
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Since the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) came into force in 2019, bilateral goods trade between Singapore and Poland has grown by 50 per cent, reaching a high of nearly S$1.7 billion (US$1.3 billion) last year. BUSINESS TIES During the Singapore-Poland Business Forum on Friday, Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu highlighted the importance of like-minded partners like Singapore and Poland in creating opportunities for growth. Both nations should also bolster the rules-based trading system through economic agreements, she added. 'Poland and Singapore share robust and growing bilateral economic relations, anchored by EUSFTA,' she said. "Creating new avenues for growth and innovation is another important way to economic success. Singapore and Poland have complementary strengths and needs in sectors such as food and digital technology, creating scope for new partnerships.' Mr Duda also identified several areas for future collaboration, including the digital economy, food security, infrastructure and logistics. 'Singapore's logistics and port operators are global leaders. There is definitely room for partnerships in warehousing, freight and trade facilitation between Europe and Asia,' he said. During his trip, Mr Duda also visited ST Engineering and port operator PSA International. NEW POLISH PRESIDENT Mr Duda and his wife, First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, were also presented with a new orchid hybrid – the Genus Andrzej and Agata Duda – at the National Orchid Garden. Mr Duda's visit comes near the end of his second five-year term, which is set to conclude in August. He will be succeeded by historian Karol Nawrocki. Polish Ambassador to Singapore Tadeusz Chomicki said he expects continuity from the new president for foreign policies regarding Asia and Singapore. 'They come from the same political background. When it comes to foreign policy, our activities, especially in the Asia Pacific region, there is no difference between the parties,' he told CNA938. 'We all see big opportunities and potential, between Poland and a number of countries in Asia.' Before arriving in Singapore, the Polish president was in Malaysia for a three-day official visit. Mr Duda described his tour as an effort to encourage potential regional investors to look to Poland. 'Poland has witnessed rapid development in the last years. The Polish economy is getting more robust and strong,' he said. 'We are proponents of the most open trade and the possible most open way to transport goods. I would like Poland to have the best possible relations, to have as many contacts as possible in the trade sphere.' ON UKRAINE AND MILITARY SPENDING During a wide-ranging interview with CNA, Mr Duda said his country is extremely concerned about the war in neighbouring Ukraine. 'Looking at our historical experiences with Russia, we're afraid of a potential Russian aggression. Our obvious response was to … modernise our armed forces, and we decided to increase our defence spending,' he said. He added the nation is spending 4.7 per cent of its gross domestic product on defence, well above the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) current guideline of 2 per cent. He added that China could play a significant role in ending the bloodshed. 'China is such a big superpower that it is able to have an impact on … Russia. It is able to be the stabiliser. (Beijing) can contribute to ending Russian aggression against Ukraine… to finding a peaceful solution. I count very much on China playing a creative and positive role here,' he said.