Sunday, May 07, 2006
Singapore's PAP returned to power with 66.6% of valid votes


Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) has swept to a decisive victory in the 2006 General Election, winning 82 of the 84 seats. It took 45 of the 47 seats contested on Saturday, in addition to the 37 - made up of seven Group Representation Constituencies - it secured on Nomination Day after they were unopposed. It took all the seven contested GRCs - made up of 38 seats - in Ang Mo Kio, Aljunied, East Coast, Jalan Besar, Tampines, Pasir Ris-Punggol, Sembawang. The PAP also won seven of the nine single seats - Bukit Panjang, Chua Chu Kang, Joo Chiat, MacPherson, Nee Soon Central, Nee Soon East and Yio Chu Kang. The PAP obtained 66.6 percent of the total valid votes cast. Incumbent MP Low Thia Khiang of the opposition Workers' Party has again beaten PAP's Eric Low in the hotly-contested seat of Hougang which the opposition has held since 1991. Mr Low Thia Khiang won 13,987 (62.74%) of the votes against Mr Eric Low's 8,306 (37.26%). The opposition party candidate won by 5,681 (25.48%) votes. Voter turnout was 22,570. The number of spoilt votes was 277. The Hougang contest between the two men was a rematch of the 2001 General Election where WP's Low won 55% of the votes while his PAP opponent 45%. The PAP also failed to unseat the opposition member in Potong Pasir. Mr Chiam See Tong of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) retained the Potong Pasir seat after winning 8,242 (55.84%) of the votes against PAP's Sitoh Yih Pin's 6,518 (44.16%). The SDA chairman won by 1,724 (11.68%). Voter turnout was 14,946. The number of spoilt votes was 186. In the 2001 elections, Mr Chiam polled 52.4 percent of the votes to beat Mr Sitoh, winning the Potong Pasir seat by 751 votes. - CNA/de


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