Singapore: Authoritarian but Newly Competitive

The 2011 parliamentary election clearly demonstrated that Singapore has transformed into a competitive authoritarian regime. Not only did the ruling People’s Action Party’s share of the popular vote decline and the opposition win the most seats ever, there was meaningful contestation for ruling powe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of democracy 2011-10, Vol.22 (4), p.153-164
Main Author: Ortmann, Stephan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism (Political Ideology)
Candidates
Capitalism
Democracy
Election results
Elections
Internet
Liberalization
Local elections
Members of Parliament
Parliamentary elections
Peoples Republic of China
Political activism
Political Change
Political leadership
Political parties
Singapore
Volunteers
Voting
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Summary:The 2011 parliamentary election clearly demonstrated that Singapore has transformed into a competitive authoritarian regime. Not only did the ruling People’s Action Party’s share of the popular vote decline and the opposition win the most seats ever, there was meaningful contestation for ruling power for the first time. As a result of the government's liberalization of the Internet, opposition parties were able to grow in strength by attracting more qualified candidates and an unprecedented number of volunteers. Besides signifying political change in Singapore, the election also worried Chinese leaders, who are trying to copy Singapore's authoritarian state-capitalism.
ISSN:1045-5736
1086-3214
1086-3214
DOI:10.1353/jod.2011.0066