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Toronto Sun
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Singapore's long-ruling party wins another landslide in election boost for new prime minister
Published May 03, 2025 • 3 minute read Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's, from the People's Action Party (PAP), thanks his supporters and voters at an assembly area for People's Action Party supporters, on the day of the general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. Photo by Vincent Thian / AP Photo SINGAPORE — Singapore's long-ruling People's Action Party won another landslide in Saturday's general elections, extending its 66-year unbroken rule in a huge boost for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong who took power a year ago. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Election Department announced the PAP won 82 Parliamentary seats after vote counting ended. The party had earlier won five seats uncontested, giving it 87 out of a total 97 seats. The opposition Workers Party maintained its 10 seats. The PAP's popular vote rose to 65.6%, up from a near-record low of 61% in 2020 polls. Jubilant supporters of the PAP, which had ruled Singapore since 1959, gathered in stadiums waved flags and cheered in celebration. 'We are grateful once again for your strong mandate. We will honour the trust you have given to us by working even harder for all of you,' Wong said in a speech earlier to his constituency before the full results were out. Eugene Tan, a law professor at the Singapore Management University, said the opposition's failure to make further inroads after 2020 was a surprise. 'Singapore voters played their cards close to their chest. Today, they indicated that their trust is with a party that has delivered over the years,' he said. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A U.S.-trained economist who is also finance minister, Wong's appeal for a resounding mandate to steer trade-reliant Singapore through economic turbulence following U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff hikes has hit home. The government has lowered its growth forecast and warned of a possible recession. Wong, 52, succeeded Lee Hsien Loong to become the city-state's fourth leader. Lee stepped down in May 2024 after two decades at the helm but remained in the Cabinet as a senior minister. His retirement as premier ended a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first leader, who built the former colonial backwater into one of the world's richest nations during 31 years in office. The PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity, but tight government control and the rising cost of living in one of the world's most expensive cities also has led to growing unhappiness, especially among younger voters. Widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding and restrictions on free speech have loosened the PAP's grip on power. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The opposition says giving it a stronger presence in Parliament will allow a more balanced political system and greater accountability. But they face an uphill task, often hamstrung by a lack of resources, fragmented support and a lack of unity. Critics said gerrymandering also gives the PAP an advantage. Pritam Singh, leader of the Workers Party, acknowledged it was a tough contest and vowed to continue the fight for a more balanced Parliament. 'The slate is wiped clean, we start work again tomorrow, and we go again,' he said. While the Workers Party failed to expand its presence, it had consolidated its support with increased share vote in some areas, said Southeast Asia political analyst Bridget Welsh. Other smaller opposition parties however, failed to make a breakthrough. Welsh said voters opted for stability amid concerns over global volatility due to sweeping U.S. tariffs. Wong's more approachable leadership in engaging yunger voters and efforts to renew PAP by bringing in about a-third of new faces also helped swung votes, she said. 'I call this the Wong and Trump effect,' she said. 'The issue of economic insecurity really did reinforce his mandate.' Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Canada Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs
Irish Examiner
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Singapore's long-ruling party on track to win another landslide
A sample count of votes released by Singapore's Election Department indicated that the long-ruling People's Action Party has won another landslide in Saturday's general elections. The count showed the People's Action Party (PAP) with strong leads in 82 seats out of 93 seats. It earlier won five seats uncontested, which gives the PAP a total of 87 seats in an enlarged Parliament. Supporters of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), cheer as they wait forthe results of the general election (Vincent Thian/AP) In 2020 polls, it won 83 seats. The sample count showed the opposition Workers Party maintaining 10 seats. The result will bolster the leadership of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his first electoral test since taking office a year ago. The sample count was based on a random bundle of 100 ballot papers from each polling station. The results are not conclusive and are aimed at curbing speculation and misinformation while counting is in progress. The full results are expected to be released later on Saturday. PAP had been widely expected to comfortably extend its 66-year dominance in the city-state, but the election is being closely watched for whether the opposition can make further gains as people express unhappiness over tight government control and a high cost of living. Mr Wong, a US-trained economist who is also finance minister, has appealed for a resounding mandate to steer trade-reliant Singapore through economic turbulence following US President Donald Trump's tariff hikes. The government has lowered its trade forecast and warned of a possible recession. Polling in Singapore is compulsory, with nearly 2.76 million eligible voters (Vincent Thian/AP) Mr Wong, 52, succeeded Lee Hsien Loong to become the city-state's fourth leader. Mr Lee stepped down in May 2024 after two decades at the helm but remained in the Cabinet as a senior minister. His retirement as premier ended a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first leader, who built the former colonial backwater into one of the world's richest nations during 31 years in office. More than 1,200 polling stations in schools, public housing blocks and other areas shut after 12 hours of voting. Polling in Singapore is compulsory, with nearly 2.76 million eligible voters. The PAP has secured five of the 97 parliamentary seats because they were unopposed. The Election Department said turnout was about 82% at 5pm, three hours before voting ended. The PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity, but its government-knows-best stance and the rising cost of living in one of the world's most expensive cities have also led to growing unhappiness, especially among younger voters. Widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding and restrictions on free speech have loosened the PAP's grip on power. The PAP's share of the popular vote slipped to a near-record low of 61% in the 2020 elections, down from nearly 70% in 2015. Although it kept 83 out of 93 parliamentary seats, the opposition gained ground with a record 10 seats.
BreakingNews.ie
03-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Singapore's long-ruling party on track to win another landslide
A sample count of votes released by Singapore's Election Department indicated that the long-ruling People's Action Party has won another landslide in Saturday's general elections. The count showed the People's Action Party (PAP) with strong leads in 82 seats out of 93 seats. Advertisement It earlier won five seats uncontested, which gives the PAP a total of 87 seats in an enlarged Parliament. Supporters of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), cheer as they wait forthe results of the general election (Vincent Thian/AP) In 2020 polls, it won 83 seats. The sample count showed the opposition Workers Party maintaining 10 seats. The result will bolster the leadership of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his first electoral test since taking office a year ago. Advertisement The sample count was based on a random bundle of 100 ballot papers from each polling station. The results are not conclusive and are aimed at curbing speculation and misinformation while counting is in progress. The full results are expected to be released later on Saturday. PAP had been widely expected to comfortably extend its 66-year dominance in the city-state, but the election is being closely watched for whether the opposition can make further gains as people express unhappiness over tight government control and a high cost of living. Mr Wong, a US-trained economist who is also finance minister, has appealed for a resounding mandate to steer trade-reliant Singapore through economic turbulence following US President Donald Trump's tariff hikes. The government has lowered its trade forecast and warned of a possible recession. Advertisement Polling in Singapore is compulsory, with nearly 2.76 million eligible voters (Vincent Thian/AP) Mr Wong, 52, succeeded Lee Hsien Loong to become the city-state's fourth leader. Mr Lee stepped down in May 2024 after two decades at the helm but remained in the Cabinet as a senior minister. His retirement as premier ended a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first leader, who built the former colonial backwater into one of the world's richest nations during 31 years in office. More than 1,200 polling stations in schools, public housing blocks and other areas shut after 12 hours of voting. Polling in Singapore is compulsory, with nearly 2.76 million eligible voters. The PAP has secured five of the 97 parliamentary seats because they were unopposed. Advertisement The Election Department said turnout was about 82% at 5pm, three hours before voting ended. The PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity, but its government-knows-best stance and the rising cost of living in one of the world's most expensive cities have also led to growing unhappiness, especially among younger voters. Widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding and restrictions on free speech have loosened the PAP's grip on power. The PAP's share of the popular vote slipped to a near-record low of 61% in the 2020 elections, down from nearly 70% in 2015. Advertisement Although it kept 83 out of 93 parliamentary seats, the opposition gained ground with a record 10 seats.
The Star
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Singapore GE2025: Voters head to the polls
Singaporean voters arrives at a voting station to cast their vote for general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) SINGAPORE: Polling stations across Singapore opened at 8am on Saturday (May 3) as more than 2.75 million eligible voters began casting their votes in the country's general election (GE2025). A total of 1,240 polling stations are operating nationwide and will close at 8pm. Voting is mandatory in Singapore. The Elections Department (ELD) encouraged voters to consider heading to the polls in the afternoon to avoid long queues in the morning. In addition to domestic voting, 10 overseas polling stations are operating from 8am to 8pm local time in their respective cities. These stations must close no later than the official closing time in Singapore. The overseas polling stations are located in Dubai, London, Washington DC, New York, San Francisco, Canberra, Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. A total of 18,389 Singaporeans had registered as overseas voters — 8,630 will vote in person at overseas stations, while 9,759 will cast their ballots by post. Voters are choosing from 11 political parties and two independent candidates to contest the remaining 92 parliamentary seats across 32 constituencies after the People's Action Party (PAP) secured five seats uncontested on nomination day. PAP is fielding candidates in all constituencies, while the Workers' Party (WP) has the most significant number of opposition candidates with 26. Five constituencies are involved in multi-cornered fights, with Tampines GRC seeing the most intense battle — a four-way contest between the PAP, WP, People's Power Party (PPP), and National Solidarity Party (NSP). — Bernama
CNA
23-04-2025
- Business
- CNA
Commentary: Would Asia welcome trade deals that exclude China?
Commentary Disrupting Beijing's dominance would suit the US and its partners in the region, says Mihir Sharma for Bloomberg Opinion. Workers pack furniture for shipping to the US at a factory on the outskirts of Muar, Malaysia, Apr 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) New: You can now listen to articles. This audio is generated by an AI tool. NEW DELHI: In any conflict, you have to recruit allies. Unfortunately for Donald Trump, that's also true of his trade war. Some of his advisors understand this: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent intends to use the '90-day pause' he won from the president to round up old friends and encircle China. Given that Washington is trusted far less in Asia these days, that might be a big ask for Bessent and his colleagues. But we shouldn't dismiss the effort out of hand, either. Many countries would be happy to see the current structure of Trump's tariffs – disproportionately targeted at China – continue indefinitely. Beijing knows this, and that's why it has begun its own ally-recruiting effort. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia last week, and his hosts went out of their way to give him an enthusiastic welcome. Yet the fact is that resentment of China's dominance of goods trade and manufacturing supply chains is as potent in much of Asia as it is in the US. Perhaps more potent, since job losses caused by Chinese dumping are an ongoing and severe problem. Indonesia may have lost as many as 80,000 jobs in just the textile sector last year, with more to come. The real cost to developing countries of China's trade practices goes even deeper, although it is less visible. It's possible to count jobs that are being lost, but much harder to count the jobs that aren't created. After years of trying to pry value chains away from Beijing's firm grip, policymakers in emerging Asia are worried and angry. They fear the old tools of development – lower wages and industrial incentives – can't work against a trade superpower determined to pour its resources into maintaining investment-led growth. Some economies, such as Vietnam, have certainly prospered by integrating more closely with China. But their leaders know that comes at a cost. Nobody views it as the sort of benign relationship that could instead be built with US companies, investors, and markets. It's entirely possible to corral such countries into a coalition meant to disrupt a China-centric trade paradigm. And, yes, differential tariffs – which penalise China more – could well be a part of that effort. But a few other things will need to be put in place. A big lesson of the past few years is that attitudes to decoupling from China in Asia vary widely. Some countries, India, especially, are eager to isolate Beijing as far as possible, and have gone further than most in the West to control Chinese investment and cut trade links. Others, such as Indonesia, might be willing to join in any effort to reshape supply chains that gives them a shot at industrialisation, but will need an incentive that outweighs the promises and threats that Beijing could deploy. And there are yet others, such as Cambodia, that are perhaps too closely integrated with China now to be reliable partners for the US. Everyone in Asia already wanted to reduce China's footprint in the manufacturing sector. Now, as markets in the West close themselves to Chinese goods, producers and policymakers here are terrified that Chinese overcapacity will flood their home markets with cheap imports. These nations' incentives aren't perfectly aligned, however. They are in competition with each other to replace Chinese producers in specific sectors, for example. And some would also want to be the ones who 'cheat' any final deal by trans-shipping Chinese goods as much as they can, or through the low-value assembly of goods prepared in factories on the mainland. Something else will be needed as a glue to hold these diverse interests together. If aid and trade are both off the table, it's unclear what the US has to offer. Trump thinks access to US consumers is enough of a carrot, but for countries locked in competition with each other and with Beijing, the gains from that trade might appear too uncertain. After all, if they are asked to cut China out of their supply chains, it could raise their costs, perhaps by too much to break into the US market. A coalition on fairer trade will need boutique strategies designed for each of these countries. Even if Bessent can somehow figure that out, he needs his boss to play along. Any partnership will require Trump's willingness to haggle on the details, and respects these countries' autonomy. Trump has promised to negotiate with 'more than 75' countries he says reached out to the US. Any such negotiation will need him to acknowledge that most of his Asian partners aren't out to defraud the US. Such a change of heart seems unlikely: After Xi's visit to Vietnam, the president said the meeting's purpose was 'trying to figure out, how do we screw the United States of America?' America will only benefit from a trade coalition that excludes China, ensures the US' domestic regulations and higher standards don't render its producers uncompetitive, and creates new supply chains that include US workers. What Trump actually needs to achieve his ends is an inclusive, equitable, high-quality partnership with allies across the Pacific Ocean. A trans-Pacific partnership, if you will. Trump Tariffs trade China
