Singapore's long-ruling party wins another landslide in election boost for new prime minister

SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore's long-ruling People’s Action Party won another landslide in Saturday’s general elections, extending its 66-year unbroken rule in a huge boost for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong who took power a year ago.

The Election Department announced the PAP won 82 Parliamentary seats after vote counting ended. The party had earlier won five seats uncontested, giving it 87 out of a total 97 seats. The opposition Workers Party maintained its 10 seats.

The PAP's popular vote rose to 65.6%, up from a near-record low of 61% in 2020 polls. Jubilant supporters of the PAP, which had ruled Singapore since 1959, gathered in stadiums waved flags and cheered in celebration.

A U.S.-trained economist who is also finance minister, Wong’s appeal for a resounding mandate to steer trade-reliant Singapore through economic troubles following U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes has hit home. The government has lowered its growth forecast and warned of a possible recession.

Wong, 52, said he was humbled and grateful for the solid mandate for the PAP. He acknowledged voters' desire to have more alternative voices in government, but said a strong PAP team was needed to tackle challenges ahead.

“The results will put Singapore in a better position to face this turbulent world,” he said.

Eugene Tan, a law professor at the Singapore Management University, said the opposition's failure to make further inroads after 2020 was a surprise. “Singapore voters played their cards close to their chest. Today, they indicated that their trust is with a party that has delivered over the years,” he said.

Wong succeeded Lee Hsien Loong to become the city-state's fourth leader. Lee stepped down in May 2024 after two decades at the helm but remained in the Cabinet as a senior minister. His retirement as premier ended a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first leader, who built the former colonial backwater into one of the world’s richest nations during 31 years in office.

The PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity, but tight government control and the rising cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities also has led to growing unhappiness, especially among younger voters. Widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding and restrictions on free speech have loosened the PAP’s grip on power.

The opposition says giving it a stronger presence in Parliament will allow a more balanced political system and greater accountability. But they face an uphill task, often hamstrung by a lack of resources, fragmented support and a lack of unity. Critics said gerrymandering also gives the PAP an advantage.

Pritam Singh, leader of the Workers Party, acknowledged it was a tough contest and vowed to continue the fight for a more balanced Parliament. “The slate is wiped clean, we start work again tomorrow, and we go again,” he said.

The United States government offered its congratulations to Singapore and Wong.

In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. and Singapore had shared a “strong and enduring strategic partnership and a commitment to a secure, free, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region" for almost 60 years.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the newly elected government and Prime Minister Wong to strengthen economic growth and our bilateral defense and security ties, which benefit Americans, Singaporeans, and others across the region,” Rubio said.

While the Workers Party failed to expand its presence, it had consolidated its support with increased share vote in some areas, said Southeast Asia political analyst Bridget Welsh. Other smaller opposition parties however, failed to make a breakthrough.

Welsh said voters opted for stability amid concerns over global volatility due to sweeping U.S. tariffs. Wong's more approachable leadership in engaging younger voters and efforts to renew PAP by bringing in about a-third of new faces also helped swung votes, she said.

“I call this the Wong and Trump effect,” she said. “The issue of economic insecurity really did reinforce his mandate.”

Singapore opposition leader and Workers' Party (WP) Secretary-General, Pritam Singh greets supporters at the assembly centre during the general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

Singapore opposition leader and Workers' Party (WP) Secretary-General, Pritam Singh looks on, at the assembly centre during the general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

Singapore opposition leader and Workers' Party (WP) Secretary-General, Pritam Singh shares a hug with party member, Jamus Lim at the assembly centre during the general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

Singapore opposition leader and Workers' Party (WP) Secretary-General, Pritam Singh is seen at the assembly centre during the general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's, from People's Action Party (PAP) thanks his supporters and voters at an assembly area for People's Action Party supporters, on the day of the general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's, from the People's Action Party (PAP), thanks his supporters and voters at an assembly area for People's Action Party supporters, on the day of the general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Workers' Party (WP) supporters react at an assembly centre during the general election, in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

Workers' Party (WP) supporters react at an assembly centre during the general election, in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

Workers' Party (WP) supporters react at an assembly centre during the general election, in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

Workers' Party (WP) supporters react at an assembly centre during the general election, in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

A Singaporean voter casts their vote for general election at polling station in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife Jane Yumiko Ittogi leave the polling station after casting their votes during the general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

Officials at a polling station seal the ballot box after the voting closed in Singapore’s general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A Singaporean rides his bike next workers' party flags at Hougang area in Singapore, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

People walk with umbrellas, with the centre business district in the background, in Singapore, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Pedestrians walk in front of the parliament building in Singapore, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Pedestrian walks in front of the parliament building in Singapore, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Singaporean voters arrives at a voting station to cast their vote for general election in Singapore, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A man walks next to workers' party flags at Hougang area in Singapore, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

FILE - Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong arrives to participate in ASEAN-China summit in Vientiane, Laos, on Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — With the start of the New Year squarely behind us, it's once again time for the annual CES trade show to shine a spotlight on the latest tech companies plan on offering in 2026.

The multi-day event, organized by the Consumer Technology Association, kicks off this week in Las Vegas, where advances across industries like robotics, healthcare, vehicles, wearables, gaming and more are set to be on display.

Artificial intelligence will be anchored in nearly everything, again, as the tech industry explores offerings consumers will want to buy. AI industry heavyweight Jensen Huang will be taking the stage to showcase Nvidia's latest productivity solutions, and AMD CEO Lisa Su will keynote to “share her vision for delivering future AI solutions.” Expect AI to come up in other keynotes, like from Lenovo's CEO, Yuanqing Yang.

The AI industry is out in full force tackling issues in healthcare, with a particular emphasis on changing individual health habits to treat conditions — such as Beyond Medicine's prescription app focused on a particular jaw disorder — or addressing data shortages in subjects such as breast milk production.

Expect more unveils around domestic robots too. Korean tech giant LG already has announced it will show off a helper bot named “ CLOiD,” which allegedly will handle a range of household tasks. Hyundai also is announcing a major push on robotics and manufacturing advancements. Extended reality, basically a virtual training ground for robots and other physical AI, is also in the buzz around CES.

In 2025, more than 141,000 attendees from over 150 countries, regions, and territories attended the CES. Organizers expect around the same numbers for this year’s show, with more than 3,500 exhibitors across the floor space this week.

The AP spoke with CTA Executive Chair and CEO Gary Shapiro about what to expect for CES 2026. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Well, we have a lot at this year's show.

Obviously, using AI in a way that makes sense for people. We’re seeing a lot in robotics. More robots and humanoid-looking robots than we’ve ever had before.

We also see longevity in health, there’s a lot of focus on that. All sorts of wearable devices for almost every part of the body. Technology is answering healthcare’s gaps very quickly and that’s great for everyone.

Mobility is big with not only self-driving vehicles but also with boats and drones and all sorts of other ways of getting around. That’s very important.

And of course, content creation is always very big.

You are seeing humanoid robots right now. It sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.

But yes, there are more and more humanoid robots. And when we talk about CES 5, 10, 15, 20 years now, we’re going to see an even larger range of humanoid robots.

Obviously, last year we saw a great interest in them. The number one product of the show was a little robotic dog that seems so life-like and fun, and affectionate for people that need that type of affection.

But of course, the humanoid robots are just one aspect of that industry. There’s a lot of specialization in robot creation, depending on what you want the robot to do. And robots can do many things that humans can’t.

AI is the future of creativity.

Certainly AI itself may be arguably creative, but the human mind is so unique that you definitely get new ideas that way. So I think the future is more of a hybrid approach, where content creators are working with AI to craft variations on a theme or to better monetize what they have to a broader audience.

We’re seeing all sorts of different devices that are implementing AI. But we have a special focus at this show, for the first time, on the disability community. Verizon set this whole stage up where we have all different ways of taking this technology and having it help people with disabilities and older people.

Well, there’s definitely no bubble when it comes to what AI can do. And what AI can do is perform miracles and solve fundamental human problems in food production and clean air and clean water. Obviously in healthcare, it’s gonna be overwhelming.

But this was like the internet itself. There was a lot of talk about a bubble, and there actually was a bubble. The difference is that in late 1990s there were basically were no revenue models. Companies were raising a lot of money with no plans for revenue.

These AI companies have significant revenues today, and companies are investing in it.

What I’m more concerned about, honestly, is not Wall Street and a bubble. Others can be concerned about that. I’m concerned about getting enough energy to process all that AI. And at this show, for the first time, we have a Korean company showing the first ever small-scale nuclear-powered energy creation device. We expect more and more of these people rushing to fill this gap because we need the energy, we need it clean and we need a kind of all-of-the-above solution.

A Coro breastfeeding monitor is pictured at a Coroflo booth during the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Yonbo X1 robots are pictured at the X-Orgin booth during the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

A Tombot robotic puppy is pictured at a Tombot booth during the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

People arrive at the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)