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| Singapore election: Governing party secures decisive win | Singapore election: Governing party secures decisive win |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Singapore's governing People's Action Party (PAP) has won a decisive victory in the general election. | Singapore's governing People's Action Party (PAP) has won a decisive victory in the general election. |
| Results showed the PAP had secured 83 of 89 seats, winning nearly 70% of the ballots cast. The party has won every election since independence in 1965. | |
| Patriotic feeling over the death of long-term leader Lee Kuan Yew may have swelled the vote, analysts said. | Patriotic feeling over the death of long-term leader Lee Kuan Yew may have swelled the vote, analysts said. |
| The opposition, running in all constituencies for the first time, had hoped to challenge the PAP's dominance. | The opposition, running in all constituencies for the first time, had hoped to challenge the PAP's dominance. |
| But the results were a marked improvement over the 2011 vote for the PAP, when it took 80 of the 87 seats but saw its share of votes drop to an all-time low of 60%. | |
| Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of PAP founder Lee Kuan Yew, said he was "humbled" by the result. | Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of PAP founder Lee Kuan Yew, said he was "humbled" by the result. |
| "Tomorrow will be better than today," he told supporters. | "Tomorrow will be better than today," he told supporters. |
| The turnout was 93.56% among 2.46 million voters, the Elections Department said. Voting is mandatory in Singapore, with few exemptions allowed. | |
| The PAP's main rival - the Workers' Party - ended up with six seats, less than the seven it held in the outgoing parliament. A number of smaller parties also ran. | |
| The PAP's success has been attributed to its widespread popularity among Singaporeans - who have seen their country rapidly evolve into a first-world economy - as well as its tight political control. | The PAP's success has been attributed to its widespread popularity among Singaporeans - who have seen their country rapidly evolve into a first-world economy - as well as its tight political control. |
| But government stumbles in managing immigration and infrastructure, coupled with a greater desire by younger Singaporeans for political plurality, have led to gains by opposition parties over the years. | But government stumbles in managing immigration and infrastructure, coupled with a greater desire by younger Singaporeans for political plurality, have led to gains by opposition parties over the years. |
| Analysis: Tessa Wong, BBC News, Singapore | Analysis: Tessa Wong, BBC News, Singapore |
| If the last election was the PAP's nadir, then this one marked its return to glory. | If the last election was the PAP's nadir, then this one marked its return to glory. |
| In 2011 it scored 60% of the vote share - a good showing by most counts, but it was the party's worst ever performance - thanks to public unhappiness over an influx of foreigners, a housing shortage, and transport breakdowns. | In 2011 it scored 60% of the vote share - a good showing by most counts, but it was the party's worst ever performance - thanks to public unhappiness over an influx of foreigners, a housing shortage, and transport breakdowns. |
| It sought to resolve these problems, promised to listen to citizens more, and put in place slightly more generous social welfare policies. On Friday, voters rewarded the party with a bigger mandate. | It sought to resolve these problems, promised to listen to citizens more, and put in place slightly more generous social welfare policies. On Friday, voters rewarded the party with a bigger mandate. |
| Lingering feel-good vibes from last month's jubilee celebrations, and a renewed sense of gratitude to PAP founder and revered leader Lee Kuan Yew, triggered by his death in March, no doubt also played a part in voters' decisions. | Lingering feel-good vibes from last month's jubilee celebrations, and a renewed sense of gratitude to PAP founder and revered leader Lee Kuan Yew, triggered by his death in March, no doubt also played a part in voters' decisions. |
| The PAP's return to power was widely expected but its large margin was a surprise to many, not least to the main opposition Workers' Party (WP). It campaigned on a platform of providing an effective check on the PAP, but lost a constituency and saw its winning margins reduced in the few seats it retained. | The PAP's return to power was widely expected but its large margin was a surprise to many, not least to the main opposition Workers' Party (WP). It campaigned on a platform of providing an effective check on the PAP, but lost a constituency and saw its winning margins reduced in the few seats it retained. |
| The results thus cement the PAP's long-running political dominance in Singapore and highlight the long slog ahead for those pushing for political plurality with an electorate which, for now, appears unconvinced of its merits. | The results thus cement the PAP's long-running political dominance in Singapore and highlight the long slog ahead for those pushing for political plurality with an electorate which, for now, appears unconvinced of its merits. |
| Read more: Singapore's elections explained in memes | Read more: Singapore's elections explained in memes |