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| Registered | 31,649 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 29,859 (94.34%)  0.94% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2013 Punggol East by-election in Singapore was held on 26 January 2013 to fill a vacant seat after the incumbent MP, Michael Palmer resigned due to an extramarital affair. It was the 17th by-election. The nomination day was 16 January 2013, and the polling day was 26 January 2013. [1]
On 26 January 2013, Lee Li Lian from the Workers' Party was elected as the Member of Parliament for Punggol East SMC winning 54.50% of the vote. [2]
The by-election was called by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the seat of Punggol East was left vacant when then the incumbent, then Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer, resigned from his seat due to him having an extramarital affair.
A local tabloid, The New Paper, reported that they received a tip-off on 8 December 2012, in the form of screengrabs of phone messages that the Speaker of Parliament, Michael Palmer was having an extramarital affair. The messages suggested that the two had close relationship and met regularly on Mondays. [3] The New Paper also stated that they have been in this relationship for a year. On the same Saturday, Palmer met DPM Teo Chee Hean to tender his resignation as speaker and MP. The next day, PM Lee Hsien Loong met Palmer to confirm his resignation.
On 12 December 2012, the PAP called a press conference where Palmer announced that he resigned to "take full responsibility for a grave mistake" for having an improper relationship with a PA staff working in the Pasir Ris West constituency office, Laura Ong. Although Ong did not work under Palmer, Punggol East belonged to the Pasir Ris-Punggol division and Punggol East still works together on constituencies affairs. Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean announced at the press conference announced that Teo Ser Luck will be the interim MP for Punggol East, while Zainal Sapari would be the new chairman for the Pasir Ris-Punggol town council. Deputy Speaker Charles Chong served as the Acting Speaker until 14 January 2013 where Halimah Yacob became the new speaker.
On 9 January 2013, President Tony Tan Keng Yam issued a writ of election for the electoral division of Punggol East. The nominations was held on 16 January at North Vista Secondary School and voting took place on 26 January. [4]
On 10 January 2013, PAP unveiled their candidate to stand in the by-election, Dr Koh Poh Koon, a 40-year-old colorectal surgeon from Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre. [5] Four days later, WP unveiled a previously-contested candidate Lee Li Lian. [6]
In a press statement to the media on 15 January 2013, the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) announced secretary-general Desmond Lim as its candidates. [7] At a news conference outside Rivervale Plaza later on the evening, the Reform Party (RP) announce that chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam will be the fourth candidate. [8]
The Singapore Democratic Party initially expressed interest in contesting the election, [9] even proposing a joint campaign with the WP, [10] but on 15 January, the SDP announced its decision not to contest the by-election and backed WP. [11]
There were potential independent candidates who declared their intentions to run. They included former People's Liberal Democratic Party founder Ooi Boon Ewe, retired acupuncturist Zeng Guoyuan [12] and former Singapore People's Party member Benjamin Pwee, who later pulled out of the race, [13] citing the lack of time to run under a party banner as a reason for pulling out.
| Candidates | Background |
|---|---|
| Lee Li Lian | A member of the Worker's Party. She made her debut in the political arena on the 2011 general election where she was fielded as a candidate representing the Punggol East SMC. |
| Koh Poh Koon | A member of the People's Action Party. He officially entered Singapore politics in January 2013, this is his first parliamentary election. |
| Kenneth Jeyaretnam | A member of the Reform Party. He has been the 2nd secretary-general of the Reform Party. |
| Desmond Lim | A member and chairman of Singapore Democratic Alliance. |
Before results were announced, SDA's Desmond Lim conceded at about 10.42pm (SGT) thanking his supporters and vowed to 'keep SDA's flame alive' in the next election. [14]
Results were announced on 10.57pm (SGT) where WP's Lee was declared candidate-elect with 54.52% out of 29,415 valid votes, beating PAP opponent Koh with 43.71% of the vote. Two candidates had forfeited their $14,500 election deposit, namely Kenneth Jeyaretnam and Desmond Lim 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 surpassing Teo Kim Hoe's former record of 196 votes or 0.81%, in post-independence Singapore; Lim's vote count would later be shattered in the 2015 elections by another candidate, Samir Salim Neji, with 150 votes or 0.60%.
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:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WP | Lee Li Lian | 16,045 | 54.50 | +13.49 | |
| PAP | Koh Poh Koon | 12,875 | 43.73 | -10.81 | |
| RP | Kenneth Jeyaretnam (Loses deposit) | 353 | 1.20 | N/A | |
| SDA | Desmond Lim Bak Chuan (Loses deposit) | 168 | 0.57 | -3.88 | |
| Rejected ballots | 418 | 1.40 | -0.3 | ||
| Margin of victory | 3,170 | 10.77 | -2.76 | ||
| Turnout | 29,859 | 94.31 | -0.99 | ||
| Registered electors | 31,649 | -4.9% | |||
| WP gain from PAP | Swing | +12.15 | |||
The election had seen another setback for the PAP since the formation of the 12th Parliament after the 2011 election where WP won Aljunied GRC. WP subsequently made history with Lee becoming the first female MP in post-independence to helm a SMC and the second female opposition MP to do so after WP's chair Sylvia Lim. It was also the second by-election since 1981 in which PAP lost a parliamentary seat of Anson SMC during the term to the opposition. Lee was sworn-in to parliament a week later on 4 February. [17]
Prime Minister Lee congratulated WP for the victory and respected the voter's decision, and further cited that in a by-election, voters were seen choosing for an MP and not government, and encouraged them to vote for the opposition. He then announced that the government will now focus on current national issues in Parliament including the Population White Paper and the annual Budget statement, and mentioned that the PAP are prepared for a long term with time to deliver results, and would continue to work to improve the lives of Singaporeans, and present the report card for voters to judge in the next general election. [18] [19] [20]
In the 2015 elections, PAP's Koh would be MP-elect for the Yio Chu Kang division under Ang Mo Kio GRC (and later Tampines GRC in 2020), but Lee was unable to retain the seat for a second term and returning Punggol East to the PAP-fold which was won by Joo Chiat SMC candidate Charles Chong in a narrow winning margin. [21] Punggol East SMC would be defunct on a redistricting of boundaries in the 2020 elections under a new constituency of Sengkang GRC; [22] WP would go on to win the GRC, eventually returning Punggol East (now renamed to Rivervale) back to the WP-fold. [23]
The Workers' Party is a major centre-left political party in Singapore and one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and the opposition Progress Singapore Party (PSP). It is currently the largest and oldest opposition party in Parliament, having contested every parliamentary election since 1959 against the dominant PAP. The WP is the only political party other than the PAP with elected Members of Parliament (MPs) since the 1991 general election.
The Singapore Democratic Alliance is an opposition political coalition between Singapore Justice Party (SJP), Singapore Malay National Organization (PKMS), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Singapore People's Party (SPP) in 2001. As of 2023, only SJP and PKMS are in the alliance.
The Singapore People's Party is an opposition political party in Singapore.
Chiam See Tong is a Singaporean retired politician and lawyer who served as the Secretary-General of Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) between 1980 and 1993 and Secretary-General of Singapore People's Party (SPP) between 2011 and 2019 and the chairman of Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) between 2001 and 2011. He was the de facto Leader of the Opposition when he became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency (SMC) and served between 1984 and 2011.
Low Thia Khiang is a Singaporean former politician. A member of the Workers' Party (WP), Low was one of the two opposition MPs in Parliament between 1997 and 2011 and served as Secretary-General of the WP between 2001 and 2018. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hougang SMC between 1991 and 2011, and also Aljunied GRC representing Bedok Reservoir — Punggol division between 2011 and 2020.
Sengkang is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the second most populous in the region, being home to 249,370 residents in 2020. Sengkang shares boundaries with Seletar and Punggol in the north, Pasir Ris and Paya Lebar in the east, Hougang and Serangoon to the south, as well as Yishun and Ang Mo Kio to the west.
These are the events concerning the 2006 Singaporean general election which occurred before the polling day on 6 May 2006.
Charles Chong You Fook is a Singaporean former politician who served as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 2011 and 2020. He served as Acting Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore from 7 August to 11 September 2017, following the resignation of Halimah Yacob on 7 August 2017.
The Reform Party is an opposition political party in Singapore.
General elections were held in Singapore on 7 May 2011. President S. R. Nathan dissolved parliament on 19 April 2011 on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Voting is mandatory in Singapore and is based on the first-past-the-post system. Elections are conducted by the Elections Department, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Office. Nomination day was held on 27 April 2011, and for the second election in a row, the PAP did not return to government on nomination day, but it did return to government on polling day. This election also marked the first and the only three-cornered fight since 2001 in Punggol East SMC before it increased to four-cornered fight on a by-election held two years later.
Punggol East Single Member Constituency was a single member constituency (SMC) located in the north-eastern area of Singapore. It was managed by Pasir Ris–Punggol Town Council in 2011, Aljuined–Hougang–Punggol East Town Council in 2013 and again by Pasir Ris–Punggol Town Council in 2015. Following the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review committee report for the 2020 general elections, Punggol East SMC was merged into the 4-member Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
Michael Anthony Palmer is a Singaporean lawyer and former politician who served as Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 2011 and 2012. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Punggol East ward of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC between 2006 and 2011, and Punggol East SMC between 2011 and 2012.
General elections were held in Singapore on Friday, 11 September 2015 to elect 89 members of Parliament. The outgoing Parliament had been dissolved and the general election called by President Tony Tan on 25 August, on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The elections were for the 13th Parliament since independence in 1965, using the first-past-the-post electoral system.
Lee Li Lian is a Singaporean politician. A member of the opposition Workers' Party (WP), she was the Member of Parliament for Punggol East SMC between 2013 and 2015.
Koh Poh Koon is a Singaporean politician and former colorectal surgeon who has been serving as Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment since 2022 and Senior Minister of State for Manpower since 2021. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Tampines Central division of Tampines GRC since 2020.
Desmond Lim Bak Chuan is a Singaporean politician. He was formerly the president of the opposition Singapore Justice Party (SJP), which joined forces with three other opposition parties to form the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) in 2001. He became the SDA secretary-general in 2009 and SDA president in 2011 before stepping down from the position of SDA chairman after the 2020 general election.
General elections were held in Singapore on Friday, 10 July 2020 to elect 93 members to the Parliament of Singapore across 31 constituencies. Parliament was dissolved and the general election called by President Halimah Yacob on 23 June, on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It elected members of parliament to the 14th Parliament of Singapore since Singapore's independence in 1965, using the first-past-the-post electoral system.
The Sengkang Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the north-eastern region of Singapore. It consists of Punggol East SMC, Sengkang West SMC and what was previously the Sengkang Central ward of the Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC. Sengkang GRC consists of four divisions: Anchorvale, Rivervale, Buangkok, and Compassvale managed by Sengkang Town Council. The current Members of Parliament are He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim and Louis Chua from the Workers' Party (WP).
List of notable events prior to the 2020 Singaporean general election:
| General elections | |
|---|---|
| By-elections | |
| Presidential elections | |
| Local elections | |
| Referendums | |
‡ uncontested | |
