Singaporeans vote in election overshadowed by cost-of-living pressures

Singaporeans began voting on Saturday in a general election, where Prime Minister Lawrence Wong faces his first major test against the opposition, as discontent grows over the rising cost of living.

Wong’s People’s Action Party (PAP) has won every election since the city state gained independence in 1965.

Wong, who took office last year, hopes to clinch a stronger mandate after the PAP suffered a setback in 2020 polls over voters’ unhappiness with the government.

Nearly 2.76 million voters are registered to elect 97 members of parliament, but five seats have already been won uncontested by the PAP after the opposition failed to nominate candidates in a group representation constituency.

Known for its clean and effective governance, the PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity. While it is assured of victory, its support is being chipped away by dissatisfaction over a high cost of living. Widening income disparity and increasingly unaffordable housing have also loosened the PAP’s grip on power.

Singapore was named as the world’s most expensive city to live for the second year in a row by international bank Julius Baer in a 2024 report on global wealth.

According to an April poll by Blackbox Research of 1,506 people, the government’s ratings on 26 issues were at the lowest level, but still net positive, for its handling of cost of living (52 per cent), goods and services tax (55 per cent), inequality (57 per cent), car prices (58 per cent) and housing affordability (59 per cent).