Sunday 1 May 2011

General elections are here!

General elections are here, and there is really a sense of excitement in the air. This is the 2nd time since independence in 1965 that the People's Action Party (PAP) was not returned to power on nomination day. At the last elections in 2006, 47 out of 84 seats were contested, the first time that the PAP was not returned to power on nomination day. But they still won 82 out of 84 seats in parliament.
This time around, 82 out of 87 seats are contested, and there is a hope that this will be a watershed election where the number of opposition seats in parliament can grow.

There is a great disparity between the support for the incumbent and opposition at the nightly rallies. But whether this opposition support translates into votes or not remains to be seen. First picture is of turnout at PAP rally, second picture is of the turnout at an opposition rally.