An auspicious day for Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong
Analysts say premier's unexpectedly strong win was down to listening to the people's grievances
Six months after the death of Singapore's former leader Lee Kuan Yew in March, the government chose to hold a general election in the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
It was a surprising choice. The Hungry Ghost Month, when spirits leave the underworld to roam among the people according to Taoist beliefs, is not propitious for major life events in the eyes of the majority Chinese population in Singapore.
The government, which can choose a poll date within a five-year term, has held polls in this inauspicious period just once since independence. It was in 1991 and it obtained poor results.
But clearly it believed lightning, the emblem of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), would not strike twice. Superstitions have no place in the rationality of a Singapore election.
On Friday night, two weeks before the more upbeat MidAutumn Festival of lanterns and mooncakes, the electorate proved that Lee's PAP was right.
Despite contesting for the first time without its spiritual father, the party won a strong mandate of 69.9 per cent of the votes. It is a near 10 percentage point jump from the previous polls four years back.
In good measure, the minuscule opposition representation was cut from seven to six seats in the 89-member parliament, with the main opposition Workers' Party's (WP) vote share slipping 6.8 points to 39.8 per cent.
