Singapore's ruling party hopes to capitalise on national mood of reflection as election campaign begins
The PAP has seen its vote share drop since 2001, hitting a record low of 60.1 per cent in the last election in 2011.
Singapore's ruling party is facing for the first time an electoral fight in all 89 seats as campaigning began yesterday in one of Asia's most politically tepid countries.
Almost everyone believes the People's Action Party (PAP) will win by a margin other developed democracies would consider a handsome victory. But the party, in power for 56 years in a row, is taking no chances as it gears up for a short but bruising battle against its main rival, the Workers' Party (WP).
The PAP will pit its nostalgia-tinted narrative of having delivered on promises to do right by voters against the latter's forward-looking platform of providing a check on the government.
The polls, to be held on September 11, will mark the first time the party and country are with-out the guiding presence of the late leader Lee Kuan Yew, who died in March.
His death came five months before the nation celebrated its 50th year of independence in August. Both events prompted a bout of introspection about Singapore's national identity. By calling the election 16 months before deadline, the ruling party is aiming to convert this mood into a resounding mandate.
"They certainly hope so," said analyst Eugene Tan from the Singapore Management University. "But I am sceptical that the two events will translate into votes. The PAP has to be careful that the nostalgia drives are not milked in such a manner to put off voters."
Its key opponents would rather focus on the years ahead. The WP's election manifesto is titled "Empower Your Future".
