Singapore PM Lee returns to power with clear mandate

Singapore, July 11

Advertisement

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s People’s Action Party (PAP) has retained power with a “clear mandate” in the general election held amid Covid, but the opposition staged its best performance ever by securing a record 10 seats in Parliament.

The People’s Action Party (PAP), in power since 1965, won 83 of 93 parliamentary seats or 61.2 per cent of the vote — down from nearly 70 per cent it had in the 2015 general election. In 2015, the PAP secured 83 seats out of 89 seats in 29 constituencies.

The surprise this time was that the opposition Workers’ Party secured 10 seats — its best result. Friday’s election was widely seen as a referendum on the Prime Minister Lee’s handling of the Covid outbreak. Singapore is currently facing the city state’s worst recession with economy projected to shrink between 7 and 4 per cent. — PTI