SINGAPORE, May 4, (AP): Singapore's long-ruling People’s Action Party won another landslide in Saturday’s general elections, extending its 66-year unbroken rule in a huge boost for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong who took power a year ago. The Election Department announced the PAP won 82 Parliamentary seats after vote counting ended.

The party had earlier won five seats uncontested, giving it 87 out of a total 97 seats. The opposition Workers Party maintained its 10 seats. The PAP's popular vote rose to 65.6%, up from a near-record low of 61% in 2020 polls. Jubilant supporters of the PAP, which had ruled Singapore since 1959, gathered in stadiums waved flags and cheered in celebration.

A US-trained economist who is also finance minister, Wong’s appeal for a resounding mandate to steer trade-reliant Singapore through economic troubles following US President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes has hit home. The government has lowered its growth forecast and warned of a possible recession. Wong, 52, said he was humbled and grateful for the solid mandate for the PAP.

He acknowledged voters' desire to have more alternative voices in government, but said a strong PAP team was needed to tackle challenges ahead. "The results will put Singapore in a better position to face this turbulent world,” he said. Eugene Tan, a law professor at the Singapore Management University, said the opposition's failure to make further inroads after 2020 was a surprise.

"Singapore voters played their cards close to their chest. Today, they indicated that their trust is with a party that has delivered over the years,” he said. Wong succeeded Lee Hsien Loong to become the city-state's fourth leader. Lee stepped down in May 2024 after two decades at the helm but remained in the Cabinet as a senior minister.

His retirement as premier ended a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first leader, who built the former colonial backwater into one of the world’s richest nations during 31 years in office. The PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity, but tight government control and the rising cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities also has led to growing unhappiness, especially among younger voters. Widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding and restrictions on free speech have loosened the PAP’s grip on power.