As Singapore Gets Ready to Vote, New Media Amplifies Voice of Opposition

Time.com, 6 May 2011
Singapore is one of the most wired countries on earth. Nearly every resident of the city state carries a mobile phone (some carry two) and enjoys broadband internet access. Singapore also has a sizable chunk of voters who will vote for the first time on May 7, according to Citigroup, because they are just reaching voting age. Some are also voting for the first time because in previous elections, like the 2006 polls, far fewer seats were contested by the opposition. (In uncontested seats, the running party wins automatically.) Full story

Nervous times for rulers as Singapore considers change

The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 May 2011
Today, 2.3 million Singaporeans will head to the polls for the 11th general election since independence in 1965. Unlike days past, the outcome of this election is shrouded in uncertainty.
The electoral threats to the ruling People's Action Party are embodied in voters' perceptions and grievances - including rising prices, hubris of the ruling party, million-dollar ministerial salaries, overpopulation and better treatment for foreigners - and credible opposition challenges. The opposition has capitalised on such sentiments and framed them as election issues to woo undecided voters. The ostensible calm hanging over the city state is perhaps a mask. There will be no illegal public forums and gatherings beyond designated venues. Street protests exist only on television screens. Full story

Singapore Election: What To Watch For Tomorrow

Bernama.com, 6 May 2011
SINGAPORE, May 6 (Bernama) -- Singapore electorates are set to cast their ballots Saturday in the republic's general election (GE).
Singapore has been under the People's Action Party (PAP) since 1959. In the last general election in 2006, it won 66.6 per cent of the votes and 82 out of 84 parliamentary seats.
Friday is the cooling-off day, where political parties or their candidates are no longer allowed to campaign. However, political broadcasts can be televised, alongside news reports on the election. Full story

Singapore Election is Most Contested Since Independence

Voice of America, 6 May 2011
Singaporeans are going to the polls Saturday for the most contested election since 1965, when the city-state gained independence from Britain. The People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled post-independence Singapore, is expected to win. But analysts say it is facing increasing challenges that have eroded its popularity. Full story

Singapore voters cool off before Saturday's election

Monsters and Critics, 6 May 2011
Singapore - Singapore voters had a chance to cool down Friday before going to the polls this weekend for an election expected to be hotly contested, by the city-state's standards.
After a nine-day campaign, the Elections Department designated Friday as a cooling-off day with no campaigning allowed, 'to let voters reflect rationally' before casting their ballot. Full story

Singapore Political Parties Make Final Push For Votes

Bernama.com, 5 May 2011
SINGAPORE, May 5 (Bernama) -- As the campaign in Singapore's 14th General Election enters its final day, leaders of the main political parties are making the final push for votes.
The parties are feverishly putting in their last effort on the campaign trail to secure the votes they need, in what some analysts and political observers predict to be the most interesting and closely contested in the history of the island state.
For the first time, the opposition parties will contest 82 out of the 87 seats, the largest number of seats contested ever against the ruling People's Action Party (PAP). Full story

Singapore Political Parties Intensify Campaigns Before Cooling Period On Friday

Bernama.com, 4 May 2011
SINGAPORE, May 4 (Bernama) -- Political parties, be it the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) or those from the opposition, are intensifying campaigns, in their quest to win the hearts and minds of Singaporean voters.
For this upcoming 14th General Election (GE), there will be a 'cooling-off day' which falls on Friday, a day before the actual polling on May 7.
Under the law, political parties can no longer carry out their campaign during the cooling-off period. Full story