The last time Singapore held elections, it was in the throes of a global crisis. That was also true when its voters went to the polls on Saturday.
Five years ago, the governing party portrayed itself as the steady hand to guide the nation through the coronavirus pandemic. This time, the challenge is President Trump’s upending of the international trade order.
The People’s Action Party, which has been in power since 1959, improved its vote share markedly on Saturday, an emphatic victory for a party that had a near record-low showing in 2020.
There was no doubt that the party would retain office. But this year’s election was viewed as a test of its popularity, because the previous poll had been seen as evidence of a growing desire for a competitive democracy in the city-state.
“People voted for stability,” said Inderjit Singh, a former P.A.P. lawmaker. “On the backdrop of the trade war and the tariff issues, Singaporeans bought into the strategy of the P.A.P. — that ‘We don’t want to take a risk with our votes.’”
Singapore’s economy is highly dependent on international trade, with a trade-to-GDP ratio of more than 300 percent, nearly five times the global average. Its port, situated along the Straits of Malacca, one of the world’s major shipping lanes, ranks among the world’s busiest.
On Saturday, the P.A.P. won 87 out of 97 seats in Parliament and its share of the popular vote rose to 65.6 percent, from 61.2 percent at the last election, in 2020. Of the 11 opposition parties, including two independent candidates, only the main opposition party, the Workers’ Party, won seats, sending 10 representatives to Parliament, the same number as in the 2020 vote.
The outcome was a vindication of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s argument that the P.A.P. was the best party to navigate the trade war and U.S.-China tensions. He has warned that the tariffs imposed by the United States will hurt Singapore, a nation of nearly six million and one of the world’s richest per capita.
The election results “show that Singaporeans understood the message,” Mr. Wong told reporters.
But he added: “There are still also many Singaporeans who would continue to like to have more opposition members in Parliament, and I respect that view.” Mr. Wong said the Workers’ Party would be offered two more seats in Parliament, increasing the party’s presence to 12.
The outcome also represented an endorsement of Mr. Wong, who took office last year after the two-decade tenure of Lee Hsien Loong, a son of Singapore’s founding father. But it stunned many political analysts, who had believed that the opposition was gaining clout in Singapore in part because voters are unhappy about the P.A.P.’s response to the rising cost of living.
During the campaign, rallies for the Workers’ Party were packed. Still, Pritam Singh, its leader, took pains to assure the public that his party was not contesting enough seats to form a government, merely that Singapore needed a more balanced political system.
“Like many Singaporeans, I would like to see more robust debates in Parliament, with more representation from diverse voices,” said Steven Yeong, 54, who has been unemployed for six months.
The opposition, which is short on volunteers and money, has long argued that the government’s tight grip on politics creates an uneven playing field. The P.A.P. government has strict rules on public assembly and limits the campaigning period to nine days, one of the world’s shortest. In districts where the opposition makes gains, election boundaries tend to get redrawn afterward.
The P.A.P. says that a committee that reviews electoral boundaries operates independently of the government.
Ultimately, this election showed “that when the external threats are so salient and so dramatic, it makes Singaporeans more conscious of the fact that the world is a difficult and sometimes ugly place,” said Cherian George, who has written books on Singapore politics.
“And that perhaps increases their sense of gratitude for a more generally capable and stable government,” he said.
Many had believed that the P. A.P’s hold on power would weaken because many average Singaporeans increasingly say they no longer feel prosperous. Singapore now has more millionaires than London. But while average wealth has more than doubled in local currency terms, median wealth has fallen 1.8 percent from 2008 to 2023, according to the Swiss bank UBS.
“My concern is that the government is bringing the country up but it’s also leaving a lot of people behind,” said Kris Tan, 44, a personal trainer.
Mr. Tan said he was worried about his children’s future, particularly about the cost of living.
Mr. Tan said he was also concerned about elitism, which he says is “getting more obvious with regards to the upper echelons of the government compared to the people.” He noted the million-dollar salaries that the country’s ministers earn.
Since the last election, the government has bolstered social spending, giving temporary financial support to people who have been laid off and offering vouchers to help with daily expenses. But it has continued to face discontent over increases in the sales tax and declining housing affordability, issues that the opposition has seized on.
Sui-Lee Wee is the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Times, overseeing coverage of 11 countries in the region.
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