October 26, 2001	Friday	Shaba'an 8, 1422

SINGAPORE, Oct 25: Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) won a fresh five-year mandate on Thursday without a vote being cast after it stood unopposed in two-thirds of the seats up for grabs in next week’s elections.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong declared “we are back in government” after 55 of the 84 seats were snatched by his party with no opposition by the time the deadline passed for candidacies for the November 3 snap polls.

Goh, 60, reiterated a vow to step down before the next elections, due in 2007, and warned that the city-state, which has enjoyed prosperity under the PAP’s unbroken rule, now faces a prolonged economic slump.

“My colleagues and I will continue to work hard to serve all of you,” he told jubilant supporters after the fragmented opposition failed to put up a fight for power, choosing to focus on a few wards instead.

“This is a very, very important general election for all of us because the country is facing a deep and long recession,” Goh said, stressing the priority of the incoming government will be job creation.

One of his first tasks is to find a replacement for Finance Minister Richard Hu, 75, whose retirement was announced just before the nomination deadline.—AFP