SINGAPORE: The General Election delivered a resounding mandate for the People’s Action Party (PAP) in Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s electoral debut as party leader.
An overall vote share of 65.6 per cent may not seem particularly high by the PAP’s standards – it is lower than the party’s vote share in 2015 (69.9 per cent) and in 2006 (66.6 per cent). However, it is a remarkable result in the context of cost-of-living concerns as well as Singapore’s ongoing political evolution.
This year’s election sheds light on the future of Singapore’s political landscape. More than any other factor, exceptional politics will be critical for Singapore’s continued progress as a nation.
INFLATION THE BANE OF POLITICAL INCUMBENTS
Recent high inflation across the world has not been kind to political incumbents. A Financial Times article noted that in 10 major countries that held elections in 2024, incumbent parties were defeated at the polls. Among these: the US Democratic Party, which lost the presidency and both houses of Congress, and the UK Conservative Party, which saw its 14-year hold on power end.
Unsurprisingly, cost of living was a central issue in Singapore’s GE2025. While inflation has fallen, consumer prices remain elevated. The PAP government responded by stepping up short-term support to households and long-term aid for the less well-off, while doubling down on investment in education, skills and job creation.
Other issues related to living costs, including the Goods and Service Tax (GST) hike and housing affordability, also featured prominently in the election.
In the end, the decision to hold the election this year rather than last probably played to the PAP’s advantage, as Singapore’s core inflation recently touched a four-year low. Elsewhere, inflation has similarly subsided and may have paved the way for incumbent parties’ success in the recent Australian and Canadian elections.
Some have suggested the economic uncertainty arising from US tariffs prompted a “flight to safety” among Singaporean voters in GE2025. However, the last GE held during the pandemic in 2020 saw the PAP win a relatively low 61.2 per cent of the vote, while the disparity in vote shares garnered by different opposition parties in GE2025 suggest that voters have not swung en masse to the PAP.
Related:
Commentary: In GE2025, the political voice of Singaporeans under 45 was louder and clearer
Snap Insight: GE2025 – early lessons for PAP and opposition parties alike
PAP’S CONTINUED DOMINANCE
What is truly remarkable is the PAP’s continued political dominance even as Singapore’s political landscape matures. Today’s climate of political openness contrasts greatly with past decades where many Singaporeans were afraid to be associated with opposition politics, and opposition parties struggled to recruit qualified candidates.
With its parliamentary presence entrenched, the Workers’ Party (WP) is now able to attract new blood with academic and work credentials on par with the PAP slate.
Yet the PAP has continued to win elections by margins that would be considered a landslide in most countries. It is one of the longest-ruling parties in a parliamentary democracy, and its dominance will likely extend into the foreseeable future, notwithstanding the gradual rise of WP, its main rival.
Today, Singapore can be said to have a more ordinary political system coupled with extraordinary backing for the ruling party.
This unusual state of affairs can be attributed to the PAP’s adaptability and…
