Singapore election: how ruling PAP scored landslide win, denying breakthrough for opposition

Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP) won the general election on Saturday in a landslide victory to secure 65.57 per cent of the vote as the opposition failed to make any breakthrough, in an outcome analysts said reflected voters’ worries about an economy hit by global turbulence.

The PAP’s vote share marked a reversal of its 2020 figure of 61.24 per cent, with six group representation constituencies (GRC) and four single seats scoring at least 75 per cent for the ruling party. Three of them won at least 80 per cent of the vote.

The resounding numbers gave Prime Minister Lawrence Wong a powerful mandate he had sought in his maiden test leading the party at the national polls.

“I am deeply humbled and grateful for the results. Singaporeans have given the PAP a clear and strong mandate to govern,” Wong said at a 3am press conference.

“It’s a clear signal of trust, stability and confidence in your government. Singaporeans too can draw strength from this and look ahead to our future with confidence.”

Contrary to earlier projections of the opposition making headway, the Workers’ Party (WP) failed to add to its slate of 10 fully elected seats. It retained comfortably its strongholds of the multi-seat wards of Aljunied and Sengkang and the single seat of Hougang.

But the two multi-seat wards it contested that were deemed hot battlegrounds – Tampines GRC and Punggol GRC – did not fall into its fold, as it scored 47.37 per cent and 44.83 per cent, respectively.

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