About 87 of the 97 seats in parliament, including five secured uncontested seats, were ahead in the sample counts released by the Elections Department on Saturday, according to the results of the election process.
By early Sunday, the final tally was anticipated.
The real test, even if the PAP had already won, was how much support it could hold, particularly under the leadership of Lawrence Wong, the newly appointed prime minister.
The party’s performance in 2020, which included just over 60% of the vote, was among its weakest results since independence in 1965, when it seceded from Malaysia.
Wong, who took office last year, campaigned on promises of continuity and new leadership in an area with the highest housing shortages and rising living costs.
The WP, the most credible opposition party in Singapore, won 26 seats in a city-state election and is projected to hold those 10 for the duration. This is unprecedented for any opposition party.
Analysts believe that a change in political sentiment, particularly among younger voters, is being felt even as the PAP’s rule is in effect, but the WP’s ability to maintain or slightly increase its share, in particular, suggests this.
Wong, 52, who succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, in the country’s first national test, was a candidate for the position.
Only three of the contests were close and within the margin of error, which indicated that the PAP’s wins in many races were significant.
According to Mustafa Izzuddin, adjunct senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore, “It’s not just the status quo; it’s also the margin of victory in each of the constituencies,” the numbers are “quite remarkable,” according to Izzuddin.
That “certainly points to a healthy and strong mandate for the prime minister,” Izzuddin continued.
Opposition parties struggle with limited coverage and funding while the PAP, in place since 1965, still enjoys a large institutional reach and resources.
Source: Aljazeera
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