Singaporeans will need to vote for a new parliament after the nation's president Tharman Shanmugaratnam dissolved it Tuesday.

The Elections Department is expected to set a date for the polls later in the afternoon. Victory is virtually assured for the PAP, which has led Singapore since its independence in 1965.

Singapore will head to the polls on 3 May, in what will be the first electoral test for its new prime minister Lawrence Wong. The election campaign, which lasts just nine days, is expected to be the campaign dominated by the rising cost of living, housing needs, jobs, and a growing demand for healthcare amid an ageing population.