Voters go to the polls in Singapore
Voters in Singapore went to the polls today, with the ruling party guaranteed a return to power but the tiny opposition still fighting hard to raise their presence in parliament.
Opposition politicians, who held two seats in the 93-seat Parliament before the election, are only contesting 29 of the 84 open seats. Nine seats are filled by appointment.
Late on Friday, riot control officers arrested 16 people after they blocked traffic, tapped on car windows and scuffled with police following a rally for the opposition Singapore Democratic Alliance.
Those arrested face possible jail terms and caning if convicted for rioting, police said.
Opposition parties say the long-ruling People’s Action Party or PAP uses defamation suits and strict controls on public speech and assembly to stifle dissent.
PAP leaders counter that they have a right to defend their reputations. Even critics call the PAP one of the world’s cleanest governments, and credit the party with making Singapore one of Asia’s wealthiest and most stable countries.
Only about 675,000 voters - less than a third of the 2.03 million registered in the country of four million people - were expected to vote because so many seats are uncontested. Voting is compulsory.
The poll comes as Singapore sinks into the worst recession since its independence from Malaysia in 1965. About 20,000 jobs are expected to be lost this year, and Prime Minister Goh said another 15,000 would go next year.
Singapore has been hit hard by sluggish global demand for its major export, electronics. The government had earlier predicted an upturn by the end of the year, but the terrorist attacks in the United States - Singapore’s biggest market undermined consumer confidence there.
