SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party has clinched 61.24 per cent of the votes in this year’s General Election, but a swing to the Opposition saw the Workers’ Party make inroads into Parliament by claiming its second Group Representation Constituency in polls held amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the WP’s victory in the newly-formed four-member Sengkang GRC, this election marks the first time that an opposition party will hold two GRCs since the GRC scheme came into effect in 1988. For the second time in Singapore’s history, all seats were contested, with two constituencies - Pioneer SMC and Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC - seeing three-cornered fights. Altogether, there were 10 opposition parties and one independent candidate who vied for a spot in Parliament.
This was followed by PAP's Melvin Yong in the new Radin Mas SMC, who clinched 74.03 per cent of the votes; the party's incumbent Lim Biow Chuan in Mountbatten SMC with 73.84 per cent; and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s team in Ang Mo Kio GRC, which scored a 71.91 per cent against RP secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam's team.
Two exceptions to the decline in vote share were Ms Tin Pei Ling's improved showing in MacPherson SMC with 71.74 per cent against People's Power Party's Goh Meng Seng; and Mr Lim in Mountbatten.It was constituencies contested by the PSP that saw some of the largest vote swings against the ruling party.
Even in Tanjong Pagar GRC, long considered a PAP stronghold, the incumbent team - which included Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah - saw its winning margin reduced by 14 percentage points against a PSP team that finished with 36.87 per cent of the vote.
“I think it’s a beginning of a new chapter for PSP, and I think the movement that I’ve created will grow," he said. "I think the team that I have built will go further in the next election." “Today’s results are positive, but we have to hit the ground running. We should not get over our head with the results. There’s much work to do. And I can assure you this Workers’ Party team is committed to serve Singapore,” he added.The WP contested a total of 21 seats in four GRCs and two single-seat wards. This was seven less than in the last General Election.
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