CNN, Singapur City :The governing People’s Action Party (PAP) won a decisive victory in Singapore’s general election, retaining its more than 50-year grip on power, according to results reported online Saturday by Singapore’s Election Department.The PAP won 83 of 89 seats on offer, while the opposition Worker’s Party (WP) secured six seats.Turnout was 93.56% among registered voters.For the first time since its independence from Britain in 1965, Singapore’s mainparties were competing for voter sentiment in all 89 seats being contested across the country’s 29 electoral divisions.Voting concluded a frantic start to the month; under the city-state’s election rules, candidates have only nine days in which they are legally allowed to campaign.But while Singapore’s block voting electoral system and the PAP’s enduring popularity all but guaranteed his success, Lee faces challenges.Singapore’s last election in September 2011 saw his ruling PAP party returned with just 60% of the vote, its worst ever electoral performance.That result gave Singapore’s opposition parties a foothold in parliament and many opposition parties have since grown in confidence.Dissatisfaction among Singapore’s residents has also been growing, and a number of the issues that contributed to the PAP’s poor performance in 2011, including the nation’s high cost of living and levels of immigration, remain of concern to voters today.A survey by local research firm Blackbox shows the “overall government satisfaction index” among residents is just 42% for the cost of living, 53% for housing affordability 53% and 57% for public transport.Singapore’s economy has also begun to stagnate. A survey released this month shows economists now expect the economy to grow 2.2% in 2005, below previous predictions of 2 to 4%, making Singapore’s economic health another key issue heading into the election.The PAP has historically kept an iron-clad grip on dissent among the local, mainstream news outlets in Singapore, but social media has opened new channels for discussion of political issues among the opposition and voters.
