 "People register to vote in the general election at a polling station in Singapore on May 3, 2025. Polling stations opened on May 3 across Singapore as voters began casting their ballots in an election seen as the first real test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his long-ruling People's Action Party. Image- AP")
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s People’s Action Party (PAP) won the Singapore general election Saturday by a landslide, securing 87 of the 97 parliamentary seats, local media reported.
Wong and the PAP sought a new mandate from the general election in the face of uncertainties in the global economy caused by US trade tariffs.
The PAP, Singapore’s oldest and largest political party has ruled the city-state since independence in 1965.
About 2.6 million Singaporeans were eligible to vote on Saturday for 92 contested seats as the PAP’s Group Representation Constituency for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights had a walkover on nomination day on April 23.
This was Wong’s first election as prime minister of the global-business focused Singapore, which now faces navigating through strong headwinds caused by tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
Can opposition make inroads into PAP’s dominance?
The overwhelming PAP majority in Singapore’s unicameral legislature has become a norm in the wealthy island’s political landscape.
But in the run-up to the latest polls, the PAP has faced a series of controversies.
Former premier Lee Hsien Loong is locked in a bitter feud with his brother Lee Hsien Yang who vehemently supports the opposition and who has sought political asylum in Britain.
The long-running family row centres on allegations made by Lee Hsien Yang that his brother is seeking to block the demolition of a family bungalow to capitalise on Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy – something he has denied.
Last year former transport minister S. Iswaran was thrown in jail for graft and in 2023, the parliament speaker and an MP resigned over an “inappropriate” affair.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAt the same time, younger voters showed increasing receptive to alternative political voices.
One voter told AFP she had been impressed by “refreshing and exciting” new candidates from across the political spectrum.
“Whether or not they get elected, I hope we see and hear more of them, and get to know them better,” said 40-year-old Shi’ai Liang.
Cost of living key issue as Singapore’s opposition
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 jump from its previously held four seats.
The WP – which has become politically slicker – has been hoping to build on that momentum with a slate of charismatic candidates, including a top lawyer.
The party pulled in massive crowds at its rallies during the campaign, just like in previous elections, but those big numbers have seldom translated into electoral wins in the past.
Campaigning on cost of living issues, WP candidates said more opposition MPs were needed in parliament so that the PAP does not have a “blank cheque” and can be held accountable.
The PAP, however, pointed to the billions of Singapore dollars it has spent in helping citizens cope with rising costs, including via cash handouts and grocery vouchers.
“Every election is important because it serves as a reminder to the first estate that the third still has a voice in shaping the future of our country,” 45-year-old Wong Jun Heng told AFP after voting.
With inputs from agencies