三级aa视频在线观看-三级国产-三级国产精品一区二区-三级国产三级在线-三级国产在线

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
World
Home / World / Asia-Pacific

Living cost key issue in Singapore elections

By PRIME SARMIENTO in Hong Kong | China Daily | Updated: 2025-04-17 09:43
Share
Share - WeChat

Singapore's national election on May 3 will serve as the first electoral test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and the fourth-generation leadership of the ruling People's Action Party.

Voters head to the polls as the city-state grapples with domestic and external challenges — from rising cost of living in one of the world's most expensive cities to geopolitical uncertainties that threaten its open economy.

Analysts said the PAP, in power since Singapore's independence in 1965, could be "under pressure" to win the popular vote, despite the country's "first-past-the-post" system to elect its parliament.

The election date was announced after President Tharman Shanmugaratnam dissolved parliament on Tuesday.

Candidates will compete for 97 seats across 33 constituencies — with 11 parties, including two opposition alliances, expected to participate.

Nomination Day is set for April 23, kicking off a nine-day campaigning period.

In a statement on X, Wong said the global conditions that enabled Singapore's success in the past few decades "may no longer hold".

"That is why I have called this general election. At this critical juncture, Singaporeans should decide on the team to lead our nation, and to chart our way forward together."

This will be the first election under Wong's leadership since he was sworn in as Singapore's fourth prime minister in May last year.

Bilveer Singh, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore, said Wong is "under pressure to get the popular vote" for the PAP.

The rising cost of living is "the mother of all issues" in the elections, Singh said, citing widespread concerns over property prices, electricity bills, and the goods and services tax.

While higher tariffs imposed by the United States are a major concern for Singapore as a key trading center in Asia, he said rising consumer prices remain top of the mind for most voters.

However, he added, younger voters have other priorities beyond bread-and-butter issues. "They are more focused on hope, equality and fairness."

Rohan Gunaratna, a professor in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said an aging population, rising cost of living, housing needs, jobs, and a growing demand for healthcare are the key election issues.

Mitigating challenges

However, he believes that the PAP-led government has mitigated these challenges and may again win this year's elections.

For James Chin, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania in Australia, the uncertainties caused by higher US tariffs may bolster the PAP's chances in the polls.

"Because we know from past elections, when there's a lot of uncertainty, people always vote for the incumbent government because they are worried that if they let somebody else win, you create even more uncertainty," he said.

He described PAP as "the most successful political party" in Southeast Asia.

While he expects the PAP to remain the dominant party in Singapore, Wong's big challenge is whether his party can secure at least 60 percent of the popular vote.

The percentage of the popular vote "is the most important thing to watch out for" in the Singaporean elections, he said.

Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst with policy and business consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore, forecasts that PAP will retain its dominance.

However, he said there is a chance that dominance could get chipped away, depending on how many electoral seats the opposition, in particular the Workers' Party, wins.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - 2025. All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产色视频网站 | 毛片a级| 美女视频大全视频a免费九 美女视频大全美女视频黄 美女视频毛片 | 黑人草逼视频 | 中国黄色免费网站 | 国内成人精品视频 | 性美国xxxxx免费 | 九九热这里只有国产精品 | 免费看黄网站在线 | 国产超级乱淫片中文 | 中文字幕色| 免费看黄色片 | 曰韩在线 | 欧美性色xo影院在线观看 | 伊人影院中文字幕 | 小色片 | 久草在线视频福利资源站 | 特黄a三级三级三级 | 日韩中字在线 | 国产精品亚洲欧美日韩一区在线 | 欧美一区二区三区久久久 | 最新国产精品视频免费看 | 深夜做爰性大片中文 | 久久国产精品一国产精品金尊 | 久久福利一区二区 | 国产精品美女免费视频大全 | 校园春色国产精品 | 国产拍拍视频 | 免费看片在线 | 古代级a毛片可以免费看 | 欧美一级特黄aa大片婷婷 | 免费在线观看污片 | 国产高清a毛片在线看 | 日韩第六页 | 欧美在线a级高清 | 福利亚洲 | 特黄录像| 色午夜婷婷 | 亚洲国产天堂久久综合网站 | 青青青在线视频国产 | 亚洲六月丁香色婷婷综合久久 |