Rule for 66 years! People’s Action Party won the 14th consecutive election in Singapore, captured 90% of the seats

Singapore: Singapore’s People’s Action Party won the general elections for the 14th consecutive time on Saturday and extended its six-decade rule. Amid the economic turmoil caused by the global trade war, the people of Singapore have given a strong mandate to their new Prime Minister. On August 7, 1965, Singapore came on the world map as an independent and sovereign nation and the People’s Action Party has been ruling here since 1959.

In these general elections, the PAP won 87 out of 97 parliamentary seats and the opposition failed to maintain the lead gained in the previous elections. This indicates the popularity of the PAP. In Singapore, known as Asia’s financial hub, there were some signs of people’s disillusionment with the PAP’s strong grip on power before the elections, but the election results proved it wrong. Most of Singapore’s population has not seen another party in power since they were born.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Lawrence Wong on his victory. He posted on Twitter (formerly Twitter), ‘Hearty congratulations on your landslide victory in the general elections. India and Singapore have a strong and multifaceted partnership, based on close people-to-people ties. I look forward to continuing to work closely with you to further advance our comprehensive strategic partnership.’

Although the PAP has consistently won 90 percent of the seats in all previous elections, its share of the popular vote is closely watched to measure the strength of its mandate. As Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is eager to make a mark in his first election after the PAP’s worst performance last time. According to local media, the PAP is yet to be formally declared the winner, but it has received 65.57 percent of the vote, higher than the 61.2 percent it received in the 2020 election.

The election result will be seen as a strong vote of support for the 52-year-old US-educated Wong, who became Singapore’s fourth prime minister last year, promising continuity as well as a fresh vigour and a new style of leadership. He took over at the end of the two-decade premiership of Lee Hsien Loong, son of former leader Lee Kuan Yew, a founding father of modern Singapore.