Singapore: From hegemonic to competitive authoritarianism

The 2011 parliamentary election in Singapore has been described by many as a “watershed election” (e.g. Lim 2011; Singh 2011) that resulted in significant political change. Some observers have even asserted that the city-state has taken a step toward democratization as the ruling party received its lowest share of the popular vote and the opposition had the highest number of seats since independence by winning a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) that was once believed to be insurmountable (Lam 2011). Chua Beng-huat also asserted to the Associated Press on July 9, 2011, that Singapore was “moving toward a more normal, democratic culture.” Only a few months later, the presidential election seemed to confirm that the political regime had transformed: the candidate favored by the establishment of the ruling party, Tony Tan, only barely won the election with 35.2 percent, his closest contender in the four-candidate contest, Tan Cheng Bock, receiving 34.9 percent. Finally, the Workers’ Party was able to decisively win two by-elections in 2012 and 2013, which seemed to confirm the sentiment of fundamental political change.