Punggol East by-election - Singapore

[ag]

The polls have already started (though in North America it's still yesterday).

I am en route back from Singapore - it was a big thing there, even rated some coverage in the Pravda Straights Times. The Speaker of Parliament, Michael Palmer, had resigned due to sexual misconduct (actually, just cheating on his wife). They've given a whole of about 10 days for the campaign (you can only have public meetings, etc., during the legal campaign - and at alotted times). This is a single-member constituency, adjoining the opposition-controlled territory and, it seems, has a potential to fall. If it does, Worker's Party would have a whole of 7 out of 87 constituency MP's (no other opposition party is represented). Worth watching - not so much for today (it won't change anything), but for the future.

Singapore is a funny place.

[ag]

And the opposition made it. Worker's Party candidate Lee Li Lian got 54.52% against 43.71% for the governing PAP Goh Poh Koon (nearly mirror image from the 2011 General Election, when PAP's Michael Palmer got 54.54% against 41.01% for Lee, who was WP's candidate then as well). The first time opposition won a district in a four-way contest, BTW (there were also two also-runs from other opposition parties).

So, the constituency MP's in Singapore are now split 80 for PAP vs. 7 for WP. I guess, this is the weakest PAP faction since independence.

[jaichind]

Yea, but both Reform (which itself is a splinter of Worker's Party) and SDA both got almost no votes as the opposition voting block consolidated behind Worker's Party.  If I recall correctly, in 2011 the SDA also ran in this district along with the Worker's Party.  This was a significant swing against the PAP but there were much larger anti-PAP swings in by-elections back in the 1970s and 1980s.  In 2011 there was a clear sign that the anti-PAP opposition parties were consolidating and 2017 might be a tough election for the PAP.

[ERvND]

Today I learned: There is more than one party in Singapore.

[jaichind]

One really funny thing I remember about Singapore elections in 2011 is on

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-election-day_events_of_the_Singaporean_general_election,_2011

look up "35 seconds"

It appears one opposition block did not make it onto the ballot because nomination papers were late by 35 seconds.  Now that is doing things by the book.  It could also be an opposition trick knowing they will get crushed in said district and make it look like their non-participation is because of PAP dirty tricks.  One will never really know.  Of course in this district the opposition never seems to field any candidates so I supect it is more of an opposition political drama.

[ag]

An interesting note: there seems to be something geographic there: all three opposition-held districts (one with 5 MPs) are contiguous.

Well, anyway, at least Singaporeans got quite a bit of extra child support/day care subsidies/ etc., etc., from it. While trying to hold the district, PAP opened the purse strings. I guess, it always does.

Fun fact. Though Singapore has something like 7 newspapers (they have to: they have 4 languages to cover + business daily + smthg else), all 7 belong to the same publisher.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Good to see Singapore drifting away from "fascism with a smile".

[minionofmidas]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Lol. (11 from today, btw.)



That is one bizarre constituency map. One wonders is there is any kind of rationale at all behind the placement of the single-member seats.
And yes, you have just one vote, for the whole ticket, in the multi-member seats. WP capturing Aljunied in 2011 was the first time the opposition ever won a multi-member seat.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Who/which demographics is/are more likely to support the opposition?

[minionofmidas]

What I find on wiki is that the area represented by the opposition has a lot of newish council housing (though I've no idea on the social status of that in Singapore and anyways it's true of many other areas as well) and a sizable Teochew-speaking community which is also the mothertongue of the oppposition leader.