Earth Science News
DEMOCRACY
Singapore ruling party wins election in landslide
Singapore ruling party wins election in landslide
By Satish Cheney
Singapore (AFP) May 4, 2025

Voters have handed Singapore's long-time ruling party a landslide election victory, offering Prime Minister Lawrence Wong a clear mandate to navigate the trade-orientated Southeast Asian nation through economic upheaval sparked by looming US tariffs.

Wong's People's Action Party took all but 10 seats in the 97-seat unicameral legislature with a total of 65.57 percent of the more than 2.4 million votes cast in the wealthy island state in Saturday's polls.

"Singaporeans gave the PAP a strong mandate to govern," Wong told a news conference hours after the official results were announced.

"The results will put Singapore in a better position to face this turbulent world," he said, adding they were a "clear signal of trust, stability and confidence in your government".

Wong was facing his first major test against a rejuvenated opposition and had urged voters to offer him a strong show of support amid the global economic uncertainties brought on by US President Donald Trump's tough tariffs policy.

The PAP, which has steered the country to prosperity during its decades in power while being criticised for suppressing dissent, was always expected to easily retain a clear majority in the legislature.

Though its dominance had been increasingly challenged by a more vocal electorate over the years, the vote saw the PAP's popularity climb as compared with 2020 elections.

Popular after leading Singapore's Covid task force, Wong took over last year from his predecessor Lee Hsien Loong, the son of founding premier Lee Kuan Yew, who ruled the island state after its bitter break-up with Malaysia in 1965.

- 'Reliable' -

Wong had warned Singapore would be hit hard if Trump went ahead with the tariffs he announced -- and then paused -- for most countries, and that it needed to stay open and competitive to counter their effects.

He has also said the ructions caused could require a major restructuring of Singapore's economy.

"The intense campaigning by PM Lawrence Wong and former PM Lee Hsien Loong in the hot seats must have helped a lot and the fear of Trump's tariffs must have worried voters as well," political observer and veteran former editor P.N Balji told AFP.

At a post-vote rally attended by cheering PAP supporters wearing white and waving flags with the party's red lightning bolt symbol, one supporter said Singaporeans had voted for stability.

"The PAP is the government and most of the time, things have been going smoothly," said Arham, an 18-year-old student. "To me, the PAP is reliable."

- Controversies -

The overwhelming PAP majority has become a norm in Singapore's political landscape.

But in the run-up to the latest polls, the PAP has faced a series of controversies.

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 a lawmaker resigned over an "inappropriate" affair.

At the same time, younger voters showed themselves to be increasingly receptive to alternative political voices.

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 this time around with a slate of charismatic candidates, including a top lawyer.

The party pulled in massive crowds at its campaign rallies, but just like in previous elections, those big numbers failed to translate into major electoral gains.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DEMOCRACY
Hong Kong ex-lawmaker calls prison experience 'surreal'
Hong Kong (AFP) May 2, 2025
A former Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker on Friday recounted her "surreal" experience being jailed for more than four years under the city's national security law. Claudia Mo, 68, was among the 45 Hong Kong opposition figures imprisoned in the city's largest national security case, after they held an informal election in 2020 that authorities deemed a "conspiracy to subvert the state power". Mo and ex-lawmakers Jeremy Tam, Kwok Ka-ki and Gary Fan were each released on Tuesday after completing a ... read more

DEMOCRACY
Crisis-hit Maldives secures $8.8bn Qatar investment

10 dead, dozens hurt after boats capsize in China: state media

Gazans struggling to survive as Israel plans for 'conquest'

Mexico's president rejects Trump offer of U.S. troops to fight cartels

DEMOCRACY
Web archivists scrambling to save US public data from deletion

Bowing to EU, Coca-Cola changes plastic bottle recycling claims

Microsoft raises Xbox prices globally, following Sony

China pioneers daytime satellite laser ranging in Earth moon space

DEMOCRACY
Nigeria fishing river reels from changing climate

David Attenborough urges 'save the oceans' as new film premieres

Indian PM vows to stop waters key to rival Pakistan

The West's spring runoff is older than you think

DEMOCRACY
Thawing permafrost dots Siberia with rash of mounds

Ice cores from tropics challenge Holocene temperature models

Summer 2024 was Lapland's warmest in 2,000 years: study

Melting glaciers at the end of the Ice Age may have sped up continental drift, fueled volcanic eruptions

DEMOCRACY
Tobacco town thrives as China struggles to kick the habit

Vertical farming holds promise for high yield and lower environmental cost

Startup helps farmers grow plant-based feed and fertilizer using wastewater

Climate change takes spice from Indonesia clove farms

DEMOCRACY
Over 45,000 affected by Somalia flash floods since mid-April: UN

Belgian mother and son die in Jordan floods: authorities

Jordan evacuates tourists from Petra after flood hits

Major offshore quake causes tsunami scare in Chile, Argentina

DEMOCRACY
Jihadists disrupt crucial wood supplies in Niger capital

MSF hospital bombed in South Sudan

Understanding Nigeria's new wave of jihadist attacks

Paramilitary shelling hits Sudan's presidential palace: army source

DEMOCRACY
Sunscreen and shelter strategies may have shielded early humans from solar radiation

'Toxic beauty': Rise of 'looksmaxxing' influencers

'Toxic beauty': Rise of 'looksmaxxing' influencers

A visual pathway in the brain may do more than recognize objects

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.