Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) was denied an automatic return to power for the first time in 18 years after opposition groups contested more than half of the parliamentary seats up for grabs in the May 6 elections. Three opposition parties are fielding a total of 47 candidates, more than half of the 84 seats in parliament.
This is the first time since 1988 that the PAP, which has dominated Singapore politics since independence in 1965, was not automatically returned to power on nomination day.
This is the turnout at the PAP rally on 1st May 2006:
This is the turnout at the Worker's Party rally on 30th April 2006:
Seeking a "resounding mandate" from the people of Singapore is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, son of Lee Kuan Yew, 82, currently holding title of Minister Mentor.
Speaking at the PAP lunch time rally on 3rd May 2006, Lee Hsien Loong said: "Right now we have Low Thia Khiang, Chiam See Tong, Steve Chia. We can deal with them. Suppose you had 10, 15, 20 opposition members in Parliament. Instead of spending my time thinking what is the right policy for Singapore, I'm going to spend all my time thinking what's the right way to fix them, to buy my supporters votes, how can I solve this week's problem and forget about next year's challenges?"
