Opposition hopes to win more seats

Opposition hopes to win more seats

SINGAPORE (Reuter): Singapore's main opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) expects to increase its share of the vote in the country's next general election and win more seats, SDP Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan said yesterday.

Chee said the SDP, which currently holds three of the four opposition seats in Singapore's 81-seat parliament, had an uphill task campaigning in a society heavily dominated by the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).

But he said he thought the SDP's support had risen since the last general election in September 1991.

Chee said the SDP was hoping it could agree a "by-election strategy" with the other small opposition parties under which they would not contest a majority of parliament seats at the general elections, which must be held by April 1997.