Polls open for the 2006 Parliamentary Elections, Singapore
{{date|May 6, 2006}}<div class='toccolours' style='padding: 15px; padding-bottom: 5pm; float:right;'>
[[Image:Flag of Singapore.svg|200px|]]

The national flag of Singapore.
</div>
[[w:Singapore|Singapore]] polling stations opened this morning at 8 a.m. [[w:Singapore Standard Time|SGT]] (0000 [[w:Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]) and are expected to run until 8 p.m. SGT (1200 UTC) tonight. Election results are expected from as early as 10 p.m. SGT (1400 UTC).

For the first time in 18 years, the incumbent [[w:People's Action Party|People's Action Party]] (PAP) has not won a walkover victory on Nomination Day on 26th April after opposition parties fielded candidates for 47 of the 84 seats. However, political analysts believe that the PAP will win a majority victory again.

This is the first parliamentary election for [[w:Prime Minister|Prime Minister]] [[w:Lee Hsien Loong|Lee Hsien Loong]] after he took over from the former Prime Minister and current [[w:Senior Minister|Senior Minister]], [[w:Goh Chok Tong|Goh Chok Tong]] stepped down in August 2004 in a planned leadership transition. Lee, 54, is the son of the [[w:Minister Mentor|Minister Mentor]] [[w:Lee Kuan Yew|Lee Kuan Yew]], who was the Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990.

As election surveys and [[w:exit poll|exit polls]] are banned in Singapore, it is difficult to determine how the political outcome might be. However, in the previous parliamentary elections in 2001, the PAP won 82 of 84 seats with 55 walkovers. The 2 remaining seats went to [[w:Chiam See Tong|Chiam See Tong]] of the [[w:Singapore Democratic Alliance|Singapore Democratic Alliance]] (SDA) and [[w:Low Thia Khiang|Low Thia Khiang]] of the [[w:Workers' Party of Singapore|Workers' Party]] (WP). A win of less than 80 of the 84 seats could prove an embarrassment for PM Lee.

The last nine days saw intense campaigning from the incumbent PAP, the SDA, the WP and the [[w:Singapore Democratic Party|Singapore Democratic Party]] (SDP). Several thousands of people attended the opposition rallies. Debates about the widening income gap, rising medical costs, job cuts, and calls for a less authoritarian political system dominated the campaigning.

==Parties==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan='2' |Party||Symbol||Abbreviation||Leader||Party/campaign slogans
|-
|colspan='2'|[[w:People's Action Party|People's Action Party]] || [[Image:Pap logo.gif|40px]]||  PAP || [[w:Lee Hsien Loong|Lee Hsien Loong]] || "Staying Together, Moving Ahead"
|-
|colspan='2'|[[w:Singapore Democratic Alliance|Singapore Democratic Alliance]] || [[Image:Sda logo.gif|40px]] ||colspan='2'| SDA || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|- [[w:National Solidarity Party|National Solidarity Party]] || [[Image:Nsp logo.gif|40px]]  || NSP || [[w:Steve Chia Kiah Hong|Steve Chia Kiah Hong]]
|-
|colspan='2' |[[w:Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura|Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura]] || [[Image:Pkms logo.gif|40px]]|| PKMS || [[w:Muhamad Ali Aman|Muhamad Ali Aman]]
|-
|colspan='2' |[[w:Singapore Justice Party|Singapore Justice Party]] || [[Image:Sjp logo.gif|40px]] || SJP || [[w:Aminuddin bin Ami|Aminuddin bin Ami]]
|-
|colspan='2' |[[w:Singapore People's Party|Singapore People's Party]] || [[Image:Spp logo.gif|40px]] || SPP || [[w:Chiam See Tong|Chiam See Tong]] || "Service before self"
|-
|colspan='2' |[[w:Singapore Democratic Party|Singapore Democratic Party]] ||[[Image:Sdp logo.gif|40px]] || SDP || [[w:Chee Soon Juan|Chee Soon Juan]] || "Standing up, Speaking out" 
|-
|colspan='2' | [[w:Workers' Party of Singapore|Workers' Party of Singapore]] ||  [[Image:Wp logo.gif|40px]] || WP || [[w:Low Thia Khiang|Low Thia Khiang]] || "Power to the People" 

"You have a Choice!"
|}

<small>For a more complete list of political parties in Singapore, see [[w:list of political parties in Singapore|list of political parties in Singapore]]. Table courtasy of [[w:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]] specifically [[Wikipedia:User:Vision]]. <!-- User says its okay. http://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ABawolff&diff=248029&oldid=248026 --></small>

==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://sg.news.yahoo.com/060506/5/singapore206831.html
|title=1.22 million Singaporeans vote today in Singapore's 10th General Election
|author=
|pub=Channel NewsAsia
|date=May 6, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://sg.news.yahoo.com/060506/3/40lfq.html
|title=Singapore polls open, ruling party seeks big mandate
|author=Fayen Wong
|pub=Reuters
|date=May 6, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-05-05-voa17.cfm
|title=Singapore Elections Seen as Test for Prime Minister
|author=Nancy-Amelia Collins
|pub=Voice of America
|date=May 5, 2006}}

{{wikipediapar|Singapore general election, 2006}}

{{publish}}
{{Archive-unreviewed}}

[[Category:Singapore]]
[[Category:Asia]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Lee Hsien Loong]]
The national flag of Singapore.

Singapore polling stations opened this morning at 8 a.m. SGT (0000 UTC) and are expected to run until 8 p.m. SGT (1200 UTC) tonight. Election results are expected from as early as 10 p.m. SGT (1400 UTC).

For the first time in 18 years, the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) has not won a walkover victory on Nomination Day on 26th April after opposition parties fielded candidates for 47 of the 84 seats. However, political analysts believe that the PAP will win a majority victory again.

This is the first parliamentary election for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after he took over from the former Prime Minister and current Senior Minister, Goh Chok Tong stepped down in August 2004 in a planned leadership transition. Lee, 54, is the son of the Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who was the Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990.

As election surveys and exit polls are banned in Singapore, it is difficult to determine how the political outcome might be. However, in the previous parliamentary elections in 2001, the PAP won 82 of 84 seats with 55 walkovers. The 2 remaining seats went to Chiam See Tong of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) and Low Thia Khiang of the Workers' Party (WP). A win of less than 80 of the 84 seats could prove an embarrassment for PM Lee.

The last nine days saw intense campaigning from the incumbent PAP, the SDA, the WP and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). Several thousands of people attended the opposition rallies. Debates about the widening income gap, rising medical costs, job cuts, and calls for a less authoritarian political system dominated the campaigning.

"You have a Choice!"

For a more complete list of political parties in Singapore, see list of political parties in Singapore. Table courtasy of Wikipedia specifically Wikipedia:User:Vision.
Singapore Asia Elections Politics and conflicts Lee Hsien Loong