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Singapore election: People’s Action Party, Workers’ Party bring out the political veterans as campaigning ends
- Singaporeans go to the polls on Friday, with campaigning permitted until midnight on Wednesday
- The campaign period did showcase the next generation of leaders, but it was seasoned veterans that got the final say before Thursday’s cooling-off period
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In the final stretch of an election campaign that was meant to showcase Singapore’s next generation of leaders, the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) banked on its veterans to shore up voters’ confidence in its brand.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s two former deputies were suddenly prominent in the national media, reinforcing Lee’s assurance on Monday that they would be by his side to pull Singapore through the coronavirus crisis.
The PAP’s chosen successors, fourth generation or “4G” ministers in Lee’s cabinet, have been fronting the government’s health care and economic response to the crisis, winning qualified approval both domestically and internationally.
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But they were less conspicuous in the media on the final day of campaigning, which was more bruising than most predicted. Singaporeans go to the polls on Friday, with campaigning permitted until midnight on Wednesday.
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Singapore's ruling People’s Action Party seeks vote of confidence in upcoming general election
Singapore's ruling People’s Action Party seeks vote of confidence in upcoming general election
The nine-day campaign was dramatically different from previous polls as physical rallies were banned and house-to-house visits limited to teams of five, turning the internet into the main venue for communicating positions and cornering opponents.
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Against the heightened anticipation, comments by former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam were the subject of seven articles in the pro-establishment The Straits Times newspaper.
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