1981 Anson by-election

1981 Anson by-election
← 1979 31 October 1981 1992 →
Registered14,512
Turnout13,746 (94.72%) Increase 0.38%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Candidate J. B. Jeyaretnam Pang Kim Hin Harbans Singh
Party WP PAP PF
Popular vote 7,012 6,359 131
Percentage 51.93% 47.10% 0.97%
Swing Increase 51.93% Decrease 37.00% Decrease 14.93%
MP before election

Devan Nair
PAP

Elected MP

J. B. Jeyaretnam
WP

A by-election for the seat of Anson Constituency, was held on 31 October 1981.

The by-election marked the first occasion since Singapore's independence in which a PAP candidate was defeated in an election for a seat in Parliament,[1][2] with Workers' Party candidate J. B. Jeyaretnam, after six attempts since his debut in 1972, won the by-election winning 51.93% of the vote. The 37% swing against the PAP is the largest ever swing in a by-election in independent Singapore, and the second largest since 1961. It was also the first time where an opposition party gained a seat from the ruling People's Action Party in a by-election, a feat which did not occur again until 2013.[3]

  1. ^ Singapore Party Loses Vote, New York Times, 1 November 1981.
  2. ^ I'll start work right away says Jeya Archived 29 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine, New Nation, 2 November 1981.
  3. ^ "WP's Lee wins Punggol East by-election". Channel NewsAsia. 26 January 2013. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.