Singapore's governing party extends 66-year rule with another landslide election win

The Associated Press

· Posted: May 03, 2025 3:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Singapore's long-ruling People's Action Party won different landslide successful Saturday's wide elections, extending its 66-year unbroken regularisation successful a immense boost for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong who took powerfulness a twelvemonth ago.

The Election Department announced that the PAP had won 82 parliamentary seats aft the counting of votes had ended. The enactment had earlier won 5 seats uncontested, giving it 87 retired of a full 97 seats. The absorption Workers Party maintained its 10 seats.

The PAP's fashionable ballot roseate to 65.6 per cent, up from a near-record debased of 61 per cent successful 2020 polls. Jubilant supporters of the PAP, which had ruled Singapore since 1959, gathered successful stadiums waved flags and cheered successful celebration.

"We are grateful erstwhile again for your beardown mandate. We volition honour the spot you person fixed to america by moving adjacent harder for each of you," Wong said successful a code earlier to his constituency earlier the afloat results were out.

Eugene Tan, a instrumentality prof astatine the Singapore Management University, said the opposition's nonaccomplishment to marque further inroads aft 2020 was a surprise. "Singapore voters played their cards adjacent to their chest. Today, they indicated that their spot is with a enactment that has delivered implicit the years," helium said.

A U.S.-trained economist who is besides concern minister, Wong's entreaty for a resounding mandate to steer trade-reliant Singapore done economical turbulence pursuing U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff hikes has deed home. The authorities has lowered its maturation forecast and warned of a imaginable recession.

Wong, 52, succeeded Lee Hsien Loong successful becoming the city-state's 4th leader. Lee stepped down successful May 2024 aft 2 decades astatine the helm but remained successful the furniture arsenic a elder minister.

His status arsenic premier ended a household dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's archetypal leader, who built the erstwhile assemblage backwater into 1 of the world's richest nations during 31 years successful office.

The PAP is seen arsenic a beacon of stableness and prosperity, but choky authorities power and the rising outgo of surviving successful 1 of the world's astir costly cities besides has led to increasing unhappiness, particularly among younger voters. Widening income disparity, progressively unaffordable housing, overcrowding and restrictions connected escaped code person loosened the PAP's grip connected power.

The absorption says giving it a stronger beingness successful Parliament volition let a much balanced governmental strategy and greater accountability. But they look an uphill task, often hamstrung by a deficiency of resources, fragmented enactment and a deficiency of unity. Critics said gerrymandering besides gives the PAP an advantage.

Pritam Singh, person of the Workers Party, acknowledged it was a pugnacious contention and vowed to proceed the combat for a much balanced Parliament. "The slate is wiped clean, we commencement enactment again tomorrow, and we spell again," helium said.

While the Workers Party failed to grow its presence, it had consolidated its enactment with an accrued stock of the ballot successful immoderate areas, said Southeast Asia governmental expert Bridget Welsh. Other smaller absorption parties, however, failed to marque a breakthrough.

Welsh said voters opted for stableness amid concerns implicit planetary volatility owed to sweeping U.S. tariffs. Wong's much approachable enactment successful engaging younger voters and efforts to renew PAP by bringing successful astir a 3rd of caller faces besides helped plaything votes, she said.

"I telephone this the Wong and Trump effect," she said. "The contented of economical insecurity truly did reenforce his mandate."