It is generally anticipated that the People's Action Party would extend its six-decade rule. However, a growing resistance is being fueled by dissatisfaction with government policies.
Singapore is in the middle of a global crisis, just like when it last had elections.
The ruling party presented itself as the calm hand that would steer the country through the coronavirus pandemic five years ago. President Trump is upending the global trade order, and the pitch is the same this time.
The People's Action Party, which has ruled since 1959, will undoubtedly continue to hold onto power, just as it did the last time. Even if the P.A.P. received a resounding majority in 2020, its popularity will be put to the test in Saturday's election. There was mounting evidence that the city-state wanted a competitive democracy.
Many political commentators now concur that Singapore's opposition is becoming more powerful. The P.A.P.'s response to the growing expense of living has angered a lot of voters. The Workers' Party, the nation's biggest opposition party, had sold-out rallies and products during the campaign. Although the party's head, Pritam Singh, went to great lengths to reassure the populace that his party was not running for enough seats to form a government, he also noted that Singapore required a more balanced political system.
Mr. Singh stated at his party's inaugural event last week that "when you have opposition in Parliament, your alternative voice is heard by the government."
"We need to be involved in our democracy," he continued.
Another possibility is that the election will become a vote on change: Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Singapore's founding father, served as prime minister for two decades till Lawrence Wong took over last year. It "will take people in government who have built up trust and close relationships with their counterparts in both America and China" to navigate the trade war and U.S.-China tensions, according to Mr. Wong.
He restated his party's decades-old claim that the P.A.P. has a history of bringing peace and prosperity to this country of about six million people, which is among the richest per capita in the world.
The issue is that a large number of ordinary Singaporeans no longer feel prosperous. Millionaires are currently more common in Singapore than in London. According to the Swiss bank UBS, median wealth decreased 1.8% between 2008 and 2023, but average wealth more than doubled in local currency terms.
The P.A.P. lost a record 10 seats to the opposition in the most recent election, which saw them win with one of the lowest vote shares in history. Since then, the government has increased social spending, provided hefty paternity benefits, and given allowances to individuals who have been laid off. However, the opposition has capitalized on its ongoing dissatisfaction with the rising cost of living, the double sales tax hike, and the deteriorating affordability of housing.
The P.A.P. has come under heavy fire from the opposition for gerrymandering by redrawing election lines in districts where they had gained ground in the previous poll and for having one of the shortest campaigning periods in the world, lasting only nine days. The P.A.P. denied the claims, stating that the commission responsible for reviewing electoral borders functions independently of the government.
Voters dismissed Mr. Singh's conviction for lying to Parliament while under oath in February. In the weeks leading up to the election, Blackbox Research conducted a survey in which Mr. Singh received a 71 percent approval rating, which was seven points higher than the previous quarter. Mr. Wong had 75 percent, which was a little higher.
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