In a flurry of weekend activity, the ruling People's Action Party outlined its manifesto planning, and government ministers went on hand-shaking walkabouts in the suburbs.

In the opposition ranks, the Workers' Party changed its leader for the first time in 30 years, replacing veteran MP J.B.Jeyaretnam, and plans for an opposition alliance were unveiled.

The movement within the parties follows a string of changes to the election laws.

Although elections are not due until August 2002, they are widely expected this year, with growing speculation of Saturday, September 8 as the likely date.

But Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has refused to be drawn on the date, other than saying the poll will be before the middle of next year and "there is no special hurry."

Compared to her neighbours, affluent Singapore is politically stable with the PAP sweeping every election since 1959, after the former British colony was granted statehood.

The election outcome has often been settled on nomination day as the opposition failed to muster enough candidates to contest most seats.

But the opposition parties, angered by Goh's statement late last year that they posed "little threat", are approaching the next election with new vigour and a sense of unity.

New Workers' Party leader Low Thia Khiang said his focus was on "renewal" of policies with a mission to attract younger members.

Low, who with Jeyaretnam give the Workers' Party two of the three opposition MPs in the PAP dominated 93-seat parliament, was also open to working with the alliance being assembled by the third opposition MP Chiam See Tong.

"The Workers' Party has been cooperative with the opposition in the past and believes we should cooperate during elections," he told the Straits Times.

Chiam, who heads the Singapore People's Party, is believed to have support from at least four other parties so far to form a coalition which will contest the election on a Singapore Democratic Alliance ticket.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed the PAP was already working on a broad vision manifesto.

"The old folks must have something so that they are looked after. So too, the young people or the women and the different ethnic groups. And so we are working on it," said Lee, Goh's favoured successor before the 2007 elections.

Last month, the government passed wide ranging electoral legislation including approval for a restricted number of overseas Singaporeans to vote and amending rules on vote recounts.

The Parliamentary Elections Bill was passed a day after parliament amended the Broadcasting Act to make it an offence for foreign broadcasters to engage in domestic politics. A similar law already applies to the print media.

September 8 is being favoured as an election date as it will coincide with a school break, allowing the use of school premises as polling stations.