Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong retained his seat, but saw his share of the vote slip.
Singapore:
Singapore’s long-standing party retained power on Saturday, but support fell sharply, while the opposition made historic gains in a general election held in the shadow of a coronavirus epidemic.
Voters put on masks and gloves and had to respect the rules of social distancing during an organized ballot as the city-state was coming out of a long period of blockage.
The affluent financial center has experienced large epidemics of viruses in dormitories housing low-wage foreign workers, but with new infections slowing down and authorities facilitating a partial foreclosure, the government has pushed the ballot.
The People’s Action Party, which ruled Singapore for six decades, was always assured of victory, winning 83 of the 93 parliamentary seats to be won, and 61.2 percent of the popular vote.
But that was dramatically lowered on nearly 70% of the votes it won in the country’s last election in 2015, while the Opposition Workers’ Party won 10 seats – its best result in an election.
The PAP “will have to do some serious introspection,” said Eugene Tan, political analyst at Singapore Management University, to the CNA channel.
“They really need to examine what contributed to this performance.”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong retained his seat, but saw his share of the vote slip.
“I think the Prime Minister will be somewhat disappointed because he fought this election by asking for a strong mandate, and I wonder if the voters have expressed reservations,” said Tan.
While the results of the PAP might be welcome to many governments around the world, the party that has been completely dominant since independence in 1965 risks being unhappy.
And for the Workers’ Party, which previously held six seats, the results were felt to be a victory. Loud celebrations erupted in one of the party strongholds, with people cheering and waving flags.
“We hope for a better future for five years, for the future of Singapore,” a supporter, Manuel, told AFP.
– Long queues –
Friday’s vote was marred after long queues outside the polling stations due to the need for virus checks, prompting election officials to extend the vote by two hours.
Opposition groups reacted furiously, the Democratic Party of Singapore calling it “very irregular”, adding that some of their polling agents had to leave before the end of the vote.
Prime Minister Lee, in charge since 2004 but probably heading for his last term as Prime Minister, has repeatedly called COVID-19 “a generation crisis” and has sought to project his party as a force for stability .
The trading hub has been hit hard by the pandemic and is set to head into its worst recession since independence in 1965.
But his message did not reach voters, while the opposition received a boost after being joined by Prime Minister Lee’s distant brother Lee Hsien Yang.
Brother is locked in a long-standing feud with Prime Minister over the legacy of their father, Singapore’s last founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew, and became a member of the Progress Party Singapore, although he did not not be presented himself.
His party was one of a host of opposition groups that took over the PAP.
– Power transfer –
The PAP, which oversaw the transformation of Singapore into one of the richest societies in the world, enjoys strong support but has been accused of arrogance, bravery and targeting of its rivals.
During the campaign, several media outlets were hit by a controversial anti-disinformation law after passing comments from an opposition figure on the virus epidemic.
They were ordered to place warnings next to the comments, claiming that they contained false information.
Job security and the government’s response to the pandemic were key issues among voters.
After initially controlling the virus, Singapore experienced major outbreaks in the dormitories of foreign workers. He has reported more than 45,000 infections, including 26 deaths, and is slowly emerging from a two-month blockage.
The ballot is also a step in a carefully orchestrated transition from power to a new generation of leaders, the Prime Minister having to hand over to a successor chosen at some point thereafter.
