Singapore's Governing Party Secures Overwhelming Victory

September 12, 2015

Singapore's Governing People's Action Party secured a decisive victory in the 2015 General Election held on September 11.

The PAP won 83 of the contested seats and the Workers' Party retained the six seats it already held. The PAP vote share increased by nearly 10 percent from 2011, to 69.86%.

This result showed a nation-wide swing for the PAP. The Workers' Party retained the Aljuneid GRC with a slim margin of 1.9 percent.

The opposition parties ran in all constituencies for the first time in the history of independent Singapore. Although close contests were expected in several constituencies, the PAP won 27 out of 29 constituencies comfortably. It also managed to force the Aljuneid GRC for a recount since the winning margin was less than 2 percent. The Workers' Party ws expected to win comfortably in Aljuneid.

Patriotic feeling over the death of long-term leader Lee Kuan Yew may have swelled the vote, analysts said. Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of the modern nation of Singapore, died this March.

His son Lee Hsien Loong leads the PAP and has served as the Prime Minister since 2004. Lee Hsien Loong led his party's team to victory in Ang Mo Kio GRC where it received nearly 80 percent of the vote.