ABSTRACT
Singapore has a dominant party system, as opposed to a one-party system. Other parties exist, around 20 are registered, and usually four to six parties compete in each election. In dominant party systems, only one party has the capacity to govern (in the short term at least), but the dominant party “must, in some measure, be responsible to other groups of political actors”, and to the public, to ensure its legitimacy and continuing dominance. 1 The People's Action Party (PAP) is one of the world's longest surviving dominant parties, having been elected to power in 1959 and returned to power in every general election since then.
