(Reuters) — Singapore’s ruling party romped to a strong election victory on Friday (September 11) and increased its share of the vote and seat tally as it brushed off an opposition challenge in the city state’s most hotly contested polls.
The People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled since independence in 1965, was always expected to win but opposition parties, contesting in all seats for the first time, had hoped to gain enough votes to challenge its domination of politics.
“Friends and residents of Ang Mo Kio GRC, and Singaporeans all over Singapore, thank you very much for this very strong support, which has given us this very good result,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told cheering supporters in the early hours of Saturday (September 12) as results flowed in showing the extent of his party’s win.
The rally was held in the group representation constituency (GRC) for which he was contesting.
Later during a news conference for local media, Lee said the results proved that Singaporeans know what is important.
“This election results show that Singaporeans understand what is at stake, that we can prosper only if we stay united and that we need to get the best team possible assembled in order to serve Singapore,” Lee said.
The results showed the PAP won about 69.9 percent of the vote, above the 60.1 percent it won in the last election in 2011, which was its worst-ever showing. In the last parliament it had 79 of a total 87 seats.
The ruling party won 83 of the 89 seats in an expanded parliament, while the opposition Workers’ Party ended up with six seats, less than the seven it held in the outgoing parliament.
“It showed that even though it may be an opposition ward, we can make the fight, take the fight to our opponent, make the case to the voters and win them back and serve them well,” Lee said.
The PAP had been hoping that a sense of patriotism inspired by this year’s 50th anniversary of independence and respect for the country’s independence leader, former premier Lee Kuan Yew, who died in March, would work in its favor.
Lee was the father of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The elder Lee drew praise for his market-friendly policies, but also criticism at home and abroad for his strict controls over the press, public protest and political opponents.