Workers’ Party reflects on GE2025 results, says opposition challenges remain “real”

Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh has acknowledged that the 2025 General Election results demonstrate how “the challenges are real” for opposition parties seeking to expand their presence in Singapore’s political system.

Speaking to the media on 4 May at Bedok Reservoir Food Centre, Singh emphasised that while the WP is “a small party”, it had delivered its best effort during the elections and he was proud of the team’s performance.

His comments came a day after the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) secured a sweeping victory, winning 87 out of 97 parliamentary seats. The PAP garnered 65.57 per cent of the popular vote, improving on its 61.24 per cent share from the 2020 polls.

In contrast, the WP maintained its strongholds—Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC, and Hougang SMC—retaining 10 seats in total.

However, the party did not secure any additional constituencies, despite what its leaders described as their “best ever slate” of 26 candidates across five Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and three Single Member Constituencies (SMCs).

The WP’s national vote share dropped marginally by 0.45 percentage points from 2020, standing at 50.04 per cent. Singh dismissed this as “incredibly negligible” when viewed against the broader swing towards the PAP.

Singh noted that the outcome was not entirely unexpected. “We never assumed that just because there’s a lot of support online or on the ground, that will translate into votes,” he said.

While the party had generated substantial public attention during its nine-day campaign—marked by large crowds and long queues for selfies with candidates—Singh stressed that “our job is to make sure we put up a good slate and proposition for Singaporeans”.

Responding to questions about whether a different candidate deployment strategy could have helped the party win more seats, Singh said that redistributing candidates might have weakened the overall balance of the WP’s campaign.

“You either weaken another team or strengthen another team, and then your overall strategy is not in equilibrium anymore,” he said.

In Aljunied GRC, Singh and his team—comprising Sylvia Lim, Gerald Giam, Fadli Fawzi, and Kenneth Tiong—retained their seat with 59.68 per cent of the vote.

At a post-election walkabout, Singh was met with enthusiastic support, including residents waiting hours to greet him.

The WP also slightly increased its vote share in Hougang SMC to 62.17 per cent and maintained a strong result in Sengkang GRC with 56.31 per cent. All three constituencies had previously been held by the WP.

Although unsuccessful in gaining new seats, WP’s candidates performed competitively in several contests.

In Jalan Kayu SMC, newcomer Andre Low lost narrowly to labour chief Ng Chee Meng, obtaining 48.53 per cent of the vote.

In Tampines GRC, the WP received 47.37 per cent of the vote, placing it among the top-performing opposition slates.

Both Jalan Kayu and Tampines results entitle the WP to two Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) positions. While the party has not decided whether to accept these, WP chair Sylvia Lim suggested that the results represent an “opportunity”, not a setback.

Lim highlighted that three of the ten WP MPs elected are newcomers—Fadli Fawzi, Kenneth Tiong, and Abdul Muhaimin of Sengkang GRC.

“These are our up-and-coming young leaders… and demonstrate what the party can do for our electorate and for Singaporeans in general,” she said.

In GRCs such as Punggol and East Coast, WP teams exceeded 40 per cent of the vote despite facing high-profile PAP leaders including Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Minister Edwin Tong.

These results were significant when compared to other opposition parties, many of which saw heavy defeats with PAP winning in landslides of up to 80 per cent of the vote.

Observers note that the WP’s ability to hold its ground, maintain strong support, and present viable new leaders positions it as the dominant opposition party in Singapore.

Singh reaffirmed the party’s role as a “force for good”, stating that the PAP would likely “do everything it can to make sure that the tide of the opposition is halted”.

“But it’s our job to communicate our message and inform [the public] why it is in our self-interest to move towards a more balanced political system,” he said.

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