Valence Rules: Explaining Opposition Party Performance in Singapore's 2025 General Elections

Singapore's 2025 general elections further consolidated a three-tiered hierarchy of opposition parties. The Worker's Party emerged as the strongest opposition party with the best results, winning 10 elected seats and 2 non- constituency seats for a total of 12 seats in the 99-seat Singapore legislature, with a vote share of 50.1 percent against the ruling People's Action Party in the constituencies that it contested. The Singapore Democratic Party and the Progress Singapore Party solidified their status as best accompanying bridesmaids. Seven other opposition parties were even further behind in their vote shares. Singapore voters' obsession with valence perceptions of opposition parties continues to explain why the Workers' Party remains so successful and why the other opposition parties continue to falter.