Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong basked in his party's thumping election victory this weekend, declaring it a sign that the city-state has found a formula to keep it on the path of success half a century after it won independence. The People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled without interruption since 1965, brushed off an opposition challenge in the country's most hotly contested poll, increasing its share of both the popular vote and seats in parliament. The PAP was always expected to win but opposition parties, contesting in all seats for the first time, had hoped that popular resentment over a widening wealth gap, high prices and immigration would dent its domination of politics.