By Xinghui Kok
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong called on Thursday for voters to re-elect all members of his cabinet, on the final day of campaigning before an election on Saturday in which some ministers face unusually close fights to keep their seats.
Addressing the country’s main labour union, Wong warned of economic turbulence and job losses if U.S. tariffs slow global growth, and said he needed to keep his team intact. His government has warned the trade-reliant economy may face a recession.
“It will take people in government who have built up trust and close relationships with their counterparts in both America and China,” Wong said.
The ruling People’s Action Party, in power since 1959, is all but guaranteed a majority, with the main opposition Worker’s Party contesting just 26 of 97 seats in parliament.
Nevertheless, the government is facing a groundswell of discontent in the face of a rising cost of living. Some members of the cabinet may face tough battles.
The Worker’s Party’s secretary-general, Pritam Singh, told his final rally it was necessary to elect alternative voices to parliament for the sake of democracy.
“The opposition makes its contribution by checking the government of the day, the same thing Lee Kuan Yew did when he was in opposition,” said Singh, referring to the country’s founding father.
A northeastern ward has shaped up to be a hotly contested constituency, where Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong could lose his seat. Wong has strongly backed Gan, calling him indispensable. Singh said this showed it was irresponsible to have Gan stand in a closely contested seat.
This is the first electoral test for Wong, who took over from long-time premier Lee Hsien Loong last year as leader of the People’s Action Party.
Six political parties and an independent candidate held final rallies on Thursday night before 2.76 million voters go to a compulsory poll on Saturday after a short nine-day campaign.
Friday is designated as a “cooling off” day when parties are forbidden from campaigning.
(Reporting by Xinghui Kok, Jun Yuan Yong and Bing Hong LokEditing by Michael Perry and Peter Graff)
