Singapore’s power party heard a resounding victory in the general elections, showed the official results, giving Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, the clear mandate he sought to voters.
The Wong Popular Action Party, in the long term, crossed the threshold of 49 seats early on Sunday to form a majority government in the unicameral legislature of 97 places of wealth, with samples showing earlier than the PAP winning all the seats except 10.
“We are again grateful for your strong mandate, and we will honor it,” said Wong largely smiling shortly after winning his neighborhood, thanking the supporters gathered at the Yio Chu Kang stadium.
Wong faced his first major test against a rejuvenated opposition and had urged voters to offer him a strong demonstration of support when he sails in the Nation focused on trade through global economic uncertainties brought by American prices.
The PAP, which led the country of Southeast Asia to prosperity while being criticized for having suppressed dissent, had to easily keep a clear majority in the legislative assembly.
However, his domination has been questioned more and more by a more vocal electorate over the years.
Popular after having managed the covid working group of Singapore, Wong took over last year from his predecessor Lee Hsien Loong, the son of the foundation of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who ruled the island state after his bitter break with Malaysia in 1965.
Wong had warned that Singapore would be hard if the American president, Donald Trump, was going ahead with the prices he had announced, then stopped for most countries, and that he had to remain open and competitive to counter their effects.
He also said that the rich caused could require a major restructuring of the Singapore economy.
“The intense campaign of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and the former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on hot seats had to help a lot and the fear of Trump prices must also have worried voters,” the political observer and former veteran chief Balji told AFP.
The overwhelming majority of PAP has become a standard in the Singapore political landscape.
But in the breakdown of the last surveys, the PAP had faced a series of controversies.
Lee Hsien Loong is locked in a bitter quarrel with his brother Lee Hsien Yang, who vehemently supports the opposition and who sought the political asylum in Great Britain.
The Row Family Row for a long time focuses on the allegations formulated by Lee Hsien Yang that his brother seeks to block the demolition of a family bungalow to capitalize on the legacy of Lee Kuan Yew – which he denied.
Last year, the former Minister of Transport S Iswaran was thrown into prison for registry and, in 2023, the president of the Parliament and a legislator resigned for an “inappropriate” case.
At the same time, young voters have proven to be more and more receptive to alternative political voices.
An voter told AFP that she had been impressed by new “refreshing and exciting” candidates from the whole political spectrum.
“Whether they are elected or not, I hope we see and hear more of them, and that we know them better,” said Shi I Liang, 40.
In 2020, the country’s largest opposition group, the workers’ party (WP), made historic gains, winning 10 of the 93 seats at stake – a significant leap compared to its four seats previously.
The WP – which has become politically smooth – hoped to rely on this momentum with a list of charismatic candidates, including a high level lawyer.
The party attracted massive crowds during its rallies during the campaign, as in the previous elections, but these large numbers have rarely resulted in electoral victories in the past.
Caminging on the cost of life, WP candidates said that more opposition deputies were necessary to deprive the PAP of a political “white check” to do whatever he wanted.
The PAP, however, underlined the billions of Singapore dollars which he spent to help citizens to face the increase in costs, in particular via cash documents and grocery vouchers.
