Singapore, May 4: Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) won a landslide victory in the general election on May 3, giving Prime Minister Lawrence Wong a "clear and strong" mandate.
The Straits Times reported early on May 4 that the PAP won an overwhelming victory with 65.57% of the popular vote in the Singapore general election on May 3, higher than the previous election (2020 with 61.24%).
Accordingly, Singapore's ruling party won 87 out of 97 parliamentary seats. The Workers' Party (WP) retained 10 seats but their calls for creating more balance in parliament were not responded to.
This is the 14th consecutive victory of the PAP , helping the party extend its hold on power in the lion island nation since independence in 1965, according to Reuters. Mr. Lawrence Wong (53 years old), part of Singapore's fourth generation of leaders, took over the position of prime minister last year, replacing Mr. Lee Hsien Loong .
Singapore elects by constituency, and the person (or group of candidates) who wins the most votes in a constituency wins all the seats in that constituency. So if a party wins narrowly in several constituencies, they can still win a majority of seats, even if the total national vote is not overwhelming.
In a 3am press conference, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that Singaporeans had given the PAP a clear and strong mandate, describing the result as the clearest signal of the people's trust, stability and confidence in the government.
Prime Minister Wong acknowledged that the issue raised in the election was the desire to have more voices in parliament. Mr Wong respected the voters' views but urged them to consider the importance of having a strong government to work effectively.
The leader said the PAP had fought a tough battle and the WP now had 10 seats in parliament, plus two non-constituency MP (NCMP) seats if they accepted the invitation to enter parliament. NCMP are opposition candidates who did not win but had a high percentage of votes in their constituencies. They were invited to enter parliament to ensure an opposition voice in the legislature, even if the opposition parties did not win enough seats in the election.
The PAP's immediate task is to form a new cabinet and Prime Minister Wong said he was happy that all key MPs had been elected, allowing him to form the best team to serve the people.
The election comes amid an unpredictable global situation and trade wars. The PAP believes this is not the time for political experimentation in the face of such external uncertainties.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
