Singapore ruling party wins election in landslide

Voters have handed Singapore’s long-time ruling party a landslide election victory, offering Prime Minister Lawrence Wong a clear mandate to navigate the trade-oriented Southeast Asian nation through economic upheaval sparked by looming US tariffs.

Wong’s People’s Action Party took all but 10 seats in the 97-seat unicameral legislature with a total of 65.57 percent of the more than 2.4 million votes cast in the wealthy island state in Saturday’s polls.

“Singaporeans gave the PAP a strong mandate to govern,” Wong said at a press conference hours after announcing the official results.

“The results will put Singapore in a better position to face this turbulent world,” he said, adding they were a “clear signal of trust, stability, and confidence in your government.”

Wong was facing his first major test against a rejuvenated opposition and had urged voters to offer him a strong show of support amid the global economic uncertainties brought on by US President Donald Trump’s strict tariffs policy.

The PAP, which has steered the country to prosperity during its decades in power, was always expected to retain a clear majority in the legislature easily.

Though a more vocal electorate had increasingly challenged its dominance over the years, the vote saw the PAP’s popularity climb compared with the 2020 elections.