Wikipedia

Hougang Single Member Constituency

Hougang
Single Member constituency
for the Parliament of Singapore
RegionNorth-East Region, Singapore
Electorate29,464
Current constituency
Created1988; 37 years ago (1988)
Seats1
PartyWorkers' Party
MemberDennis Tan
Town CouncilAljunied–Hougang
Created fromPunggol SMC

The Hougang Single Member Constituency[a] is a single-member constituency (SMC) situated in north-eastern Singapore. It is managed by Aljunied–Hougang Town Council. The current Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency is Dennis Tan from the Workers' Party (WP).

History

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Hougang SMC was established prior to the 1988 general election and was initially won by the governing People's Action Party (PAP).[2] However, the PAP only held the constituency for three years, as they lost it to WP candidate Low Thia Khiang in the 1991 general election, suffering a swing of nearly 12%.[3] Low would retain the seat in every subsequent general election until 2011.[4][5][6]

Between 1997 and 2011, Low was one of only two directly elected opposition MPs; the other was Chiam See Tong, MP for Potong Pasir SMC. During the 2006 general election, then-Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong campaigned to help the PAP reclaim the two opposition constituencies, offering a S$100 million upgrading plan to Hougang SMC.[7] Despite this, Low increased his vote share to 62.74%.[6]

In the 2011 general election, Low left Hougang SMC to contest the adjacent Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC); Yaw Shin Leong, the new WP candidate, won 64.8% of the vote against PAP candidate Desmond Choo.[8] After an affair, the WP expelled Yaw in 2012 citing "indiscretions in his private life",[9] leading to a by-election that year; Png Eng Huat retained the seat for the WP with a decreased 62.08% of the vote against Choo.[8][10]

In the 2015 general election, Png won reelection with a decreased 57.66% of the vote against PAP candidate Lee Hong Chuang.[8][11]

Png retired before the 2020 general election; WP candidate Dennis Tan retained Hougang SMC with 61.21% of the vote against Lee.[12][13] On 17 October 2023, the PAP appointed Jackson Lam as branch chairperson for the constituency, replacing Lee.[14] Lam was himself replaced by Marshall Lim in February 2025.[14][15] At the 2025 general election, Tan won reelection against Lim with an increased vote share of 62.15%, despite a nationwide swing towards the PAP.[16][17]

Having been held by the party since 1991, Hougang SMC is widely regarded as a stronghold for the WP by political analysts.[12][16]

Member of Parliament

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Year Member Party
Formation
1988 Tang Guan Seng PAP
1991 Low Thia Khiang WP
1997
2001
2006
2011 Yaw Shin Leong
2012 Png Eng Huat
2015
2020 Dennis Tan
2025

Electoral results

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Note: The Elections Department Singapore (ELD) does not include rejected votes for calculation of candidate's vote share. Hence, the total of all candidates' vote share will be 100%.

Elections in 1980s

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General Election 1988[18][19]
Party Candidate Votes %
PAP Tang Guan Seng 11,983 58.96
WP Lim Chiu Liang 8,342 41.04
Majority 3,641 17.92
Total valid votes 20,325 97.37
Rejected ballots 548 2.63
Turnout 20,873 96.18
Registered electors 21,703
PAP win (new seat)

Elections in 1990s

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General Election 1991[20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
WP Low Thia Khiang 10,621 52.82 Increase11.78
PAP Tang Guan Seng 9,487 47.18 Decrease11.78
Majority 1,134 5.67 Decrease12.25
Total valid votes 20,108 97.77 Increase0.40
Rejected ballots 458 2.23 Decrease0.40
Turnout 20,566 95.76 Decrease0.42
Registered electors 21,476 Decrease1.05
WP gain from PAP Swing Increase11.78
General Election 1997[22][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
WP Low Thia Khiang 13,458 58.02 Increase5.20
PAP Heng Chee How 9,736 41.98 Decrease5.20
Majority 3,722 16.04 Increase10.37
Total valid votes 23,194 98.68 Increase0.91
Rejected ballots 311 1.32 Decrease0.91
Turnout 23,505 96.24 Increase0.48
Registered electors 24,423 Increase13.72
WP hold Swing Increase5.20

Elections in 2000s

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General Election 2001[24][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
WP Low Thia Khiang 12,070 54.98 Decrease3.04
PAP Eric Low 9,882 45.02 Increase3.04
Majority 2,188 9.96 Decrease6.08
Total valid votes 21,952 98.67 Decrease0.01
Rejected ballots 295 1.33 Increase0.01
Turnout 22,247 95.4 Decrease0.84
Registered electors 23,320 Decrease4.52
WP hold Swing Decrease3.04
General Election 2006[26][27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
WP Low Thia Khiang 13,989 62.74 Increase7.76
PAP Eric Low 8,308 37.26 Decrease7.76
Majority 5,681 25.48 Increase15.52
Total valid votes 22,297 98.77 Increase0.10
Rejected ballots 277 1.23 Decrease0.10
Turnout 22,574 95.01 Decrease0.39
Registered electors 23,759 Increase1.88
WP hold Swing Increase7.76

Elections in 2010s

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General Election 2011[28][29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
WP Yaw Shin Leong 14,850 64.80 Increase2.06
PAP Desmond Choo 8,065 35.20 Decrease2.06
Majority 6,785 29.6 Increase4.12
Total valid votes 22,915 98.87 Increase0.10
Rejected ballots 261 1.13 Decrease0.10
Turnout 23,176 94.36 Decrease0.65
Registered electors 24,560 Increase3.37
WP hold Swing Increase2.06
By-election 2012[30][31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
WP Png Eng Huat 13,460 62.08 Decrease2.72
PAP Desmond Choo 8,223 37.92 Increase2.72
Majority 5,237 24.16 Decrease5.44
Total valid votes 21,683 98.66 Decrease0.21
Rejected ballots 295 1.34 Increase0.21
Turnout 21,978 93.9 Decrease0.4
Registered electors 23,368 Decrease4.85
WP hold Swing Decrease2.72
General Election 2015[32][33]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
WP Png Eng Huat 13,027 57.66 Decrease4.42
PAP Lee Hong Chuang 9,565 42.34 Increase4.42
Majority 3,462 15.32 Decrease8.84
Total valid votes 22,592 98.96 Increase0.3
Rejected ballots 236 1.04 Decrease0.3
Turnout 22,828 94.73 Increase0.83
Registered electors 24,097 Increase3.12
WP hold Swing Decrease4.42

Elections in 2020s

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General Election 2020[34][35]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
WP Dennis Tan 15,451 61.21 Increase3.55
PAP Lee Hong Chuang 9,791 38.79 Decrease3.55
Majority 5,660 22.42 Increase7.04
Total valid votes 25,242 98.93 Decrease0.03
Rejected ballots 272 1.07 Increase0.03
Turnout 25,514 96.53 Increase1.95
Registered electors 26,432 Increase9.69
WP hold Swing Increase3.55
General Election 2025[36]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
WP Dennis Tan 16,956 62.15 Increase0.94
PAP Marshall Lim 10,327 37.85 Decrease0.94
Majority 6,629 24.30 Increase1.88
Total valid votes 27,283 98.93 Steady
Rejected ballots 296 1.07 Steady
Turnout 27,579 93.60 Decrease2.93
Registered electors 29,464 Increase11.47
WP hold Swing Increase0.94

Notes

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  1. ^ Malay: Kawasan Undi Perseorangan Hougang; Chinese: 后港单选区; Tamil: ஹவ்காங் தனித்தொகுதி[1]

References

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  1. ^ "Government Terms Translated". gov.sg. 15 July 2025. Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  2. ^ "ELD | 1988 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  3. ^ "ELD | 1991 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  4. ^ "ELD | 1997 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  5. ^ "ELD | 2001 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  6. ^ a b "WP chief Low Thia Khiang wins fourth term as Hougang MP". AsiaOne. 6 May 2006. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  7. ^ "SM Goh to help PAP candidates win back Hougang, Potong Pasir seats". Archived from the original on 21 March 2006.
  8. ^ a b c "GE2015: Workers' Party's Png Eng Huat retains Hougang SMC". The Straits Times. 12 September 2015. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Workers' Party expels Yaw Shin Leong - Channel NewsAsia". CNA. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  10. ^ "ELD | 2012 Parliamentary By-election Result". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  11. ^ "ELD | 2015 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  12. ^ a b Cheng, Kenneth (11 July 2020). "GE2020: Workers' Party retains Hougang stronghold". Today. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  13. ^ "ELD | 2020 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  14. ^ a b Ng, Wei Kai (13 February 2025). "PAP announces replacement of Hougang and Aljunied branch leaders". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  15. ^ Ganesan, Deepanraj (29 March 2025). "New face Jackson Lam 'very good on the ground', will be asset to Parliament: Shanmugam". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  16. ^ a b Tan, Thiam Peng (4 May 2025). "Dennis Tan retains WP stronghold Hougang SMC comfortably". AsiaOne. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  17. ^ "ELD | 2025 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  18. ^ "ELD | 1988 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary General Election 1988 > Hougang". www.singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  20. ^ "ELD | 1991 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  21. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary General Election 1991 > Hougang". www.singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  22. ^ "ELD | 1997 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary General Election 1997 > Hougang". www.singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  24. ^ "ELD | 2001 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary General Election 2001 > Hougang". www.singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  26. ^ "ELD | 2006 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary General Election 2006 > Hougang". www.singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  28. ^ "ELD | 2011 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  29. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary General Election 2011 > Hougang". www.singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  30. ^ "ELD | 2012 Parliamentary By-election Result". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  31. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary By-Election 2012 > Hougang". www.singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  32. ^ "ELD | 2015 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  33. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary General Election 2015 > Hougang". www.singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  34. ^ "ELD | 2020 Parliamentary General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  35. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary General Election 2020 > Hougang". www.singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Statement of Poll for the Electoral Division of Hougang" (PDF). 16 May 2025.

Further reading

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1°22′18.4″N 103°53′35″E / 1.371778°N 103.89306°E / 1.371778; 103.89306