Singapore's ruling party sweeps elections

Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) retained power with an absolute majority winning 81 of the 87 seats in a "watershed" general elections, but Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged that opposition gains had marked a "distinct shift" in the city-state's political landscape.Though the PAP, in power for over 40 years, won 81 of the 87 parliament seats as it captured 60 per cent of the 2 million votes cast in yesterday's election, the Workers Party won six seats, the most ever captured by the opposition."It marks a distinct shift in our political landscape," Lee told an early morning news conference."Many (Singaporeans) wish for the government to adopt a different style and approach," he said."Many desire to see more opposition voices in parliament to check the PAP government."

"We hear all your voices, whether it's expressed in person or over the Internet. The PAP will analyse the results of the elections, learn from what has emerged in this general election, put right what is wrong, improve on what can be made better, and also improve ourselves to serve Singaporeans better," local media quoted Lee as saying.He said his party would undergo some "soul-searching" and expressed willingness to work with lawmakers from the opposition.

Lee said he was disappointed over PAP's defeat in Aljunied GRC, which cost the government two ministers and failed to win back the Hougang from WP.Although the PAP won the great majority of seats, the party's share of the popular vote slipped to around 60 per cent from around 67 cent at the last election in 2006, the results showed.

Rival Workers' Party (WP) took the other six seats, winning for the first time a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) of five members, and retaining a single member parliamentary seat of Hougang under the leadership of veteran opposition politician Low Thia Khiang.

The PAP had faced issues related to influx of foreign workers, higher cost of housing caused by high net worth expatriates, housing affordability, rising cost of living for the locals, the slower progress on transportation, and the high salaries for the ministers in the prosperous city state.

Though the PAP had a strong mandate, Lee noted frustrations, grievances and unfulfilled aspirations of Singaporeans during the nine-day campaigning by political parties for 82 of the 87 seats.PAP took the Tanjong Pagar on nomination day on April 27 when the opposition failed to file their papers in time, winning five seats led by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore and also Prime Minister Lee's father.

Lee also assured that the government would work hard on its own with "a population of passive but engaging Singaporeans in the more difficult decisions and trade-offs which governing Singapore involves".Foreign Minister George Yeo along with cabinet minister Lim Hwee Hua and senior Minister of State Zailnul Abidin Rasheed, a sitting member of parliament Cynthia Phua and newcomer Ong Ye Kung lost the Aljunied GRC by a margin of 9.4 per cent to WP.

WP leader Low led party chairman Sylvia Lim, and first timers Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, corporate lawyer Chen Show Mao, and postgraduate law student Pritam Singh in defeating PAP for the first time in the GRC, a unique grouping parliamentarians in electing minority representation from the pre-dominantly Chinese population in Singapore.Overall, PAP received 60.14 per cent of the total votes from the 2.05 million voters and WP took 12.82 per cent.

The rest of the votes were taken by the other contesting parties - National Solidarity Party which took 12.04 per cent, Reform Party 4.28 per cent, Singapore Democratic Alliance 2.8 per cent, Singapore Democratic Party 4.83 per cent, Singapore People's Party 3.1 per cent.A total of 2.057 million or 93.06 per cent of the 2.21 million Singaporeans voted yesterday.The PAP, in power since 1959 under the stewardship of Lee Kuan Yew, held 82 of the 84 seats in the last parliament elected in 2006, with vote support of 67 per cent.

Singapore, rated among the world's top commerce, trade and financial centres, is projected to post an economic growth of between four per cent and six per cent this year, a follow on to last year's 14.5 per cent, having rebounded strongly from the global economic meltdown of mid-2008 and 2009.
Singapore got independence in 1965 from Great Britain.

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