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Singapore's ruling party secures tenth straight victory

People's Action Party wins 82 out of 84 seats; gets 37 before the election

CONFIDENT: Singapore's Prime Minister and secretary-general of the ruling People's Action Party, Lee Hsien Loong (third from left), with his party members observe voters at a polling station in Singapore on Saturday. _ PHOTO: AP

SINGAPORE: Singapore's ruling party won a landslide victory in Parliamentary elections on Saturday, signalling the continuity in the city-state's trademark mix of economic success, social stability and tight political controls.

Final results showed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's People's Action Party winning 82 out of 84 seats, including 37 seats it got automatically before the election, as the Opposition did not contest them.

The breakdown of seats, with the Opposition winning two, is unchanged from the outgoing Parliament.

Drop in percentage

While the result was widely expected, the percentage of votes won by the ruling party dropped to 66.6 from 75.3 per cent in the 2001 election, indicating that more Singaporeans want new voices in the Government.

The People's Action Party has won every election since Singapore became independent in 1965. This is its 10th straight victory.

The vote was the first electoral test of 54-year-old Mr. Lee's popularity since he took over from Goh Chok Tong in August 2004.

Mr. Lee addressed his supporters at a sports stadium after his electoral team won 66 per cent of the votes in his district of Ang Mo Kio.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," he said, thanking the loyalists for their "strong mandate."

Mr. Lee had campaigned on a pledge not to leave the poor, the elderly and the unemployed behind.

Opposition leaders said they had put up a good fight, and were not surprised by the ruling party's victory.

"We are not thinking that we are going to overthrow the Government overnight," said Glenda Han, a candidate from the opposition Workers' Party. "People are sitting up and looking at the Opposition in a more positive light."

People's Action Party candidates had said the constituencies that voted for them would get priority in Government funds for housing upgrades and other benefits.

Some people, especially among the younger generation, say they want more public debate and a loosening of controls.

The small opposition parties this year fielded enough candidates to prevent a Government walkover at the polls for the first time in nearly two decades.

Opposition candidates highlighted a growing income disparity between the rich and poor.

AP

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