Any doubt about the ability of the people’s action party to continue to dominate Singapore’s policy after six decades of rules was put in place with the result of the elections on Saturday.
Directed by Lawrence Wong in his first election as Prime Minister, the PAP won 87 of the 97 seats in Parliament, holding the opposition to the 10 he won during a vote in 2020. The opposition had sought to extend these previous gains, but the atmosphere changed because it became clear very early that the voters took place safe in the middle of the threat of global economic disorders.
The results are an approval of Wong’s strategy to deepen social assistance in order to mitigate the increase in life costs. They also echo election results last week in Australia And Canada, where voters supported the in -office as the policies of US President Donald Trump who are running world trade.
The 52 -year -old economist and his team have warned that inviting more opposition to the government could create instability at the wrong time for Singapore dependent on trade.
“Lawrence Wong will radiate like a Cheshire cat,” said Eugene Tan, an associate professor of law at Singapore Management University. “He could not have asked for a better result. This will allow the PAP to go up for the next decade.”
The Times Straits index was little changed on Monday, while the Singapore dollar bordered above against the greenback.
Beyond parliamentary seats, Wong’s party has done considerably better with popular vote, collecting approximately 66% of voting bulletins, nearly 5 more percentage points than in 2020.
This position gives Wong all the support he needs to complete a succession of new political leaders in his office without too much noise from the opposition. The result also points out the continuity of policies for foreign companies that have helped make Singapore a global financial center.
‘Clear signal’
It was not bad news for the opposition. Supporters of the workers’ party comforted themselves knowing that they were able to hang the 10 seats they won in 2020, while increasing their share of popular vote to almost 15%. This strengthens WP’s claim as the main voice of the opposition and, perhaps, a more powerful force in the future.
However, the elections on Saturday suggest a renewal of public confidence in a political party which has been in charge since independence in 1965. Wong is the fourth Prime Minister of the State of the State, and just the second step of the founder of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, the son of Lee, Lee Hsien Loong, held the best job from 2004 to 2010.
In the early hours of Sunday, Wong undertook to redouble the efforts to fight against pressure from the cost of living faced with Singaporeans. He also discussed the need to create more jobs and strengthen support for health care, retirement, education and families.
“It is a clear signal of trust, stability and confidence in your government,” he said early Sunday morning. “We will do our best to serve you and improve your life.”
Although a victory has never been in doubt, the margin of victory in Singapore can have a significant impact on public policy.
In 2020, the PAP won 89% of the seats – its worst performance since independence, partly due to a reaction from young voters. The party has sought to attract them since, among other things, by attenuating access to public housing and by repealing a long -standing law prohibiting sexual relations between men. Half of the32 new candidatesThe PAP floated in this election was less than 40 years.
The transition to Wong marked another change in the approach of PAP to approach the cost increase among some 3.6 million Singaporeans. This included unemployment benefits for the first time and more billions of dollars in successive budgets to help pay everything, meals for public services and support for education.
Trade war
Now Wong can focus on confrontation of the wind contrary winds that threaten to upset the economy linked to the city’s state trade. The government last month revised its economic growth forecasts from 2025 to 0 to 2% compared to 1% to 3% previous, and the Prime Minister warned that a recession cannot be excluded.
The strong result also provides a sigh of relief from companies, which were more likely to deal with higher taxes and restrictions on hiring foreign workers if the opposition had outle.
“For companies, this means greater clarity and continuity of economic policy, in particular support for digital transformation, sustainability objectives and labor policies,” said Nydia Ngiow, Managing Director at Consultancy BowerGroupasia.
Companies “will find a more foreseeable short-term regulatory environment, which would contribute to investment planning and operational stability in the context of geopolitical tensions,” she said.
At the same time, the Wong Government will go to all trade negotiations with the more confident United States, the main ministers elected to power. Wong had sought to convince voters of the campaign campaign that Singapore would be in a stronger position to do exactly this in the event of re -election.
The biggest rear wind for the PAP “was the increased world uncertainty motivated by the trade war launched by President Trump,” said Pushan Dutt, professor of economics and political science in INSEAD in Singapore. “The voters were never going to take a bet in the form of a protest vote.”
For the opposition, the result means that efforts to bring more balance and debate to parliament will have to wait. While the counts arrived on Saturday evening, the opposition candidates were discouraged.
“We are shocked by the results,” said Leong Mun Wai, an opposition candidate for the Singapore Progress Party. “Perhaps we will have to review our strategy and regroup to fight against another day.”
Nevertheless, there has been a certain consolation for them in the capacity of the workers to hold the ground in Parliament.
“Unlike other parties, the workers’ party has managed to remain competitive this time and is now the only real opposition force in Singapore”, according to the Survey Survey Research.
This story was initially presented on Fortune.com
