On polling day, Lee Li Lian from the WP won the Punggol East seat from the PAP, securing 54.50% of the vote in a four-cornered contest. The PAP candidate Koh Poh Koon received 43.73% of the votes. The remaining candidates from the Reform Party (RP) and the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) performed poorly, earning only 1.20% and 0.57% respectively, well below the 12.5% threshold and losing their election deposits.[2]
Background
On 8 December 2012, local tabloid The New Paper reported receiving a tip-off in the form of screengrabs of phone messages suggesting that Palmer was involved in an affair. The messages indicated a close relationship between Palmer and the other party, with regular meetings on Mondays.[3] The tabloid also reported that the relationship had lasted for a year. On the same day of the exposé, Palmer met Deputy Prime MinisterTeo Chee Hean to tender his resignation as Speaker and MP. The following day, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met Palmer to formally confirm his resignation. Subsequently, the by-election was called by President Tony Tan Keng Yam on the advice of the Prime Minister after the Punggol East seat became vacant.
On 12 December 2012, the PAP held a press conference where Palmer announced his resignation, stating he was stepping down to "take full responsibility for a grave mistake" involving an improper relationship with a People's Association (PA) staff member, Laura Ong, who worked in the Pasir Ris West constituency office. Although Ong did not report directly to Palmer, they collaborated on constituency matters within the Pasir Ris–Punggol division. At the press conference, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean announced that Teo Ser Luck would serve as interim MP for Punggol East, while Zainal Sapari would take over as chairman of the Pasir Ris–Punggol Town Council. Deputy Speaker Charles Chong served as Acting Speaker until 14 January 2013, when Halimah Yacob was appointed as the new Speaker.
Confirmation of by-election
On 9 January 2013, President Tan issued a writ of election for the electoral division of Punggol East. The nominations were held on 16 January at North Vista Secondary School and voting took place on 26 January.[4]
Candidates
Four candidates were successfully nominated for this election:
A sales trainer and Worker's Party member. This is her second candidacy in the same ward, having made her debut in the last general election. WP's announced her candidacy on 14 January.[6]
The current secretary-general of Singapore Democratic Alliance. Lim also previously contested Punggol East SMC in 2011 in the election's sole three-way contest, and being the only candidate that election to have his S$16,000 election deposit forfeited. SDA announced his candidacy on 15 January.[7][8]
The current secretary-general for Reform Party, and the son of the late WP's leader J. B. Jeyaretnam. Jeyaretnam made its debut in the last general election contesting in the West Coast GRC. RP announced his candidacy on 15 January, right after SDA's announcement.[9]
Before the results were announced, SDA's Desmond Limconceded at about 10.42pm (SGT) thanking his supporters and vowed to 'keep SDA's flame alive' in the next election.[14]
Results were announced at 22:57pm (SGT) when WP's Lee was declared candidate-elect with 54.52% out of 29,415 valid votes, defeating PAP opponent Koh with 43.71% of the vote. Two candidates had forfeited their $14,500 election deposit for garnering below the 12.5% threshold, namely Kenneth Jeyaretnam of the RP and Desmond Lim of the SDA with 1.20% and 0.57% of the votes respectively, with the latter becoming the second candidate to have his election deposit forfeited twice since Harbans Singh,[15] and setting a record-low vote share at the time of the election surpassing Teo Kim Hoe's former record of 196 votes or 0.81% in post-independence Singapore.
Overseas votes were tabulated four days after the by-election, on 30 January, seeing a 0.02% change in the top two parties after Koh and Lee received 19 and 7 votes respectively (there is only one spoilt and 32 abstained votes).[16] The results are as follows:
The election was seen as another setback for the PAP following the formation of the 12th Parliament after the 2011 election, when the WP won Aljunied GRC. At the time, it appeared that public support for the PAP was waning. The WP made history with Lee Li Lian becoming the first female MP in post-independence Singapore to helm a SMC and the second female opposition MP after WP chairwoman Sylvia Lim. It was also only the second instance of the PAP losing a parliamentary seat mid-term to the opposition, the first being in 1981 when the WP captured Anson. Lee was sworn in as MP a week later, on 4 February.[17]
Prime Minister Lee congratulated the WP on their victory and expressed respect for the voters' decision, noting that by-elections are often about choosing an MP rather than a government, and acknowledging that some voters may use them to support the opposition. He added that the government would focus on pressing national issues in Parliament, including the Population White Paper (PWP) and the annual Budget statement. Lee emphasised that the PAP was prepared for the long term, committed to delivering results, improving the lives of Singaporeans and presenting their performance for voters to assess in the next general election.[18][19] Similarly, WP chief Low Thia Khiang told the media that voters should not take the by-election result for granted and emphasised that the WP would continue to hold the government accountable while representing their constituents.[20]
Subsequent elections
In the 2015 general election, PAP's Koh was elected as an MP for the Yio Chu Kang division under Ang Mo Kio GRC, and later represented Tampines Central in Tampines GRC during the 2020 and 2025 general elections. WP's Lee Li Lian was unable to retain Punggol East SMC in 2015, losing narrowly to the PAP candidate Charles Chong, returning the constituency to PAP control.[21] Punggol East was later dissolved during the 2020 general election and absorbed into the newly formed Sengkang GRC.[22] The WP subsequently won the GRC, effectively returning the area formerly known as Punggol East, now Rivervale, to the party.[23] As of 2025, the ward remains under WP's control, with Rivervale overseen by Louis Chua.[24]
The four-cornered contest within a single constituency, last seen in 1997 at Chua Chu Kang SMC and the 2011 presidential election, remained the most recent instance of such a contest until 12 years later in the 2025 general election. In Tampines GRC, a four-way race unfolded between the PAP, whose team coincidentally included Koh, the WP led by former Aljunied GRC MP Faisal Manap, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and the People's Power Party (PPP).[25] In the ensuing election, the PAP retained Tampines GRC with 52.02% of the vote compared to WP's 47.37%. Meanwhile, both the PPP and NSP performed poorly, receiving only 0.43% and 0.18% of the valid votes respectively, marking the lowest vote shares in post-independence Singapore and causing both parties to forfeit their election deposits.[26]
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