SINGAPORE -- Wearing masks and plastic gloves, Singaporeans voted Friday in a general election that is expected to return Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's long-governing party to power.
Senior citizens were the first to cast ballots as 1,100 polling stations across the city-state opened at 8 a.m. (0000 GMT), with strict safety measures in place for Southeast Asia's first national election since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Older voters were scheduled to vote early in the day as protection against the virus, and people being treated for COVID-19 or under quarantine at home were not allowed to vote.
The health crisis and concerns over an economic recession will likely send voters opting for stability under Lee's People's Action Party. It faces 10 small opposition parties that are contesting the 93 parliamentary seats mostly on a one-on-one basis against the PAP. The opposition has said it does not want to govern, but urged the 2.65 million eligible voters to reduce the PAP's overwhelming majority in parliament and deny it a "blank check."
The PAP has dominated politics since 1959, when Lee's father, Lee Kuan Yew, became Singapore's first prime minister and built the resource-poor city-state into one of the world's richest nations during 31 years in office. In 2015, the party won 69.9 per cent of the total vote and 93 per cent of parliamentary seats. But it has also been criticized for tight government control, media censorship and use of oppressive laws and civil lawsuits against dissidents.
Lee, 68, and his wife, Temasek Holdings CEO Ho Ching, lined up outside a school around noon to cast their ballot. Lee said the safety protocols were practical, although they led to longer than expected lines.
"The officers are trying their best and from what I know, the teething problems have been sorted out and it's running smoothly now," Lee told reporters after voting. "I am going to chill out until tonight."
The Election Department later said it decided to drop the requirement to don disposable gloves to cut waiting time for voters. It said around a third of voters had cast ballots by noon.
Retiree Dennis Phua said the vote shouldn't have been rushed as the PAP's five-year mandate would last to April next year. He said he hopes for louder opposition voices in parliament so the PAP wont be "so arrogant."
"There are so many things we are not satisfied with. It's a good government, but the way they do things can be better," Phua said as he waited outside a school to vote.
But not all agree.
"I hope that it will remain as status quo. For so many years, it has been the same and so far so good," said homemaker Florence See. She praised the government for putting in place strict measures to protect voters.
Lee has faced opposition from his estranged younger brother, Lee Hsien Yang, who said the PAP had turned into an elitist party. The younger Lee joined an opposition party last month but is not running in the election. The prime minister has said the polls are about ensuring a strong government to secure the country's future, not his family feud.
Singapore's election follows polls in Serbia and Mongolia last month and in South Korea in April, when governing parties in all three countries scored resounding victories.
The polls come just weeks after the country emerged from a two-month lockdown aimed at controlling one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks. The tiny nation of 5.8 million people has reported more than 45,000 cases, most of them foreign workers living in crowded dormitories that were overlooked in the early phase of its crisis management.
With the economy forecast to shrink this year by up to 7 per cent, Lee's government has unveiled several economic assistance packages totalling nearly 100 billion Singapore dollars (US$71.7 billion) but warned the full economic impact hasn't been felt yet.
While coronavirus cases have mostly declined, new daily cases still top 100.
The government determined the election could be held safely with the number of polling stations increased from 880 to 1,100 and other safety measures such as masks and temperature checks.
Voters were given a two-hour window to cast their ballots to reduce crowding. Election officials were wearing full personal protective gear and polling booths were to be sanitized every half hour. The last hour of voting is reserved for those with fever or on stay-home notice after returning from oversea.
Polls will close at 8 p.m. and results were expected to begin arriving late Friday,
Ng reported from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
