Singapore's ruling party returns to power

Singapore Premier Lee Hsien Loong's People's Action Party returned to power after easily winning today's general election, dashing hopes of opposition seeking to end half a century dominance by one-party.
With partial results announced, the People's Action Party (PAP) had won 60 seats in the 89-member Parliament, confirming a two-thirds majority in parliament. Votes for the remaining seats were still being counted.
Prime Minister Lee, 63, was re-elected from his group representation constituency (GRC) of Ang Mo Kio. A GRC is a type of electoral division or constituency in Singapore where the MPs are voted into Parliament as a group.

"You've given us your mandate - we'll do our best to serve you," said Lee in his victory speech, delivered in English and Mandarin.
"My team and I in Ang Mo Kio - some of us have served you for many years, some of them are new. Regardless, we'll work together and work hard to build a better home, and we'll speak up and represent you in Parliament."
"We will also represent Singaporeans to build a better Singapore," Lee said.

"The sample count results have been really encouraging across the island, but we don't want to take them for granted, just as we should never take our residents for granted," PAP candidate Tan Chuan-Jin was quoted as saying.

Opposition leaders acknowledged the results, saying there seems to a bigger swing towards the PAP, which has ruled Singapore for 50 years since independence.
More than 2 million Singaporeans voted today in one of the biggest election contest.
Opposition politicians have challenged the government on issues related to migrants, cost of living, low wages, foreign workers competing for jobs, the stressed transportation system and the age limit on retirees to withdraw Central Provident Fund, a compulsory savings from salaries.
Politics in the city-state since its independence in 1965 has been dominated by the ruling PAP founded by Lee Kuan Yew, father of Lee, and it has won every election.

The PAP's biggest competition in the election to the 89-seat parliament is the Workers' Party, which in the last parliament had seven MPs.
The opposition is made up of Workers' Party, National Solidarity Party, Singapore Democratic Party, Reform Party, Singaporeans First, Singapore People's Party, Singapore Democratic Alliance and People's Power Party.
In previous elections, the PAP has retained some of its seats without a vote -- known as a walkover -- as no opposition candidate ran against them. But this year every seat in the compulsory election is being contested.