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LEAD: Singapore parliament dissolved for general election+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)SINGAPORE, April 20_(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING) Singapore's unicameral parliament was dissolved Thursday to make way for a general election, according to a government statement. The dissolution follows Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's decision to call for an early general election although the five-year term of parliament members runs until mid-2007. President S.R. Nathan dissolved parliament on the advice of Lee. The election -- Singapore's 10th since independence in 1965 -- is widely expected to be won by Lee's ruling People's Action Party, which has clinched victory at every election and has an overwhelming dominance in parliament in the face of a weak and fragmented opposition. Lee, elder son of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, is seeking a strong mandate for his leadership in the election, which will be his first since taking over the premiership from Goh Chok Tong in 2004. The PAP, however, could face a tougher challenge this time because the opposition parties have indicated they plan to contest 57 of the 84 parliamentary seats up for grabs. The PAP won 75 percent of the valid votes cast -- its best feat since 1980 -- in the general election in November 2001 when a climate of fear swept across the region after the terrorist attacks in the United States. Before dissolution, the ruling party controlled all but two parliamentary seats and it has vowed to wrest them back from the opposition this time. The two opposition-held wards are Potong Pasir -- held by Chiam See Tong, the 71-year-old chief of the Singapore People's Party, which is part of the four-party Singapore Democratic Alliance, since 1984 -- and Hougang -- the stronghold of Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang since 1991. The 84 parliamentary seats are spread over 23 constituencies, which the parties must try to win. Nine of the constituencies offer one parliamentary seat each while other 14, known as "Group Representation Constituencies," offer five or six seats each. Voting is compulsory in Singapore and nearly 2.16 million Singaporeans aged 21 and older will be required to vote this time. |