Singaporeans go to polls*****

SINGAPORE, May 7 (AFP): Singaporeans went to the polls on Saturday with the opposition hoping to reduce the government's overwhelming majority amid voter disenchantment over the cost of living and immigration policies. The People's Action Party (PAP), which won 82 of the 84 seats in parliament when Singapore last voted in 2006, was facing its most vigorous challenge in decades after tens of thousands of people attended opposition rallies. After a "cooling off" day on the eve of the election when all campaigning was banned, voters lined up in an orderly fashion under a hot tropical sun for 12 hours of balloting starting at 8:00 am (0000 GMT). The final turnout was expected to be high-just four hours into the vote, 1.047 million or 47 percent of the 2.21 million eligible voters had already cast their ballots, according to the elections department.