2012 Hougang by-election

2012 Hougang by-election

26 May 2012
Registered23,368
Turnout21,978 (94.05%) 0.31%
  First party Second party
 
Candidate Png Eng Huat Desmond Choo
Party WP PAP
Popular vote 13,460 8,223
Percentage 62.08% 37.92%
Swing 2.72% 2.72%

MP before election

Yaw Shin Leong
WP

Elected MP

Png Eng Huat
WP

A parliamentary by-election was held in the Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC) in Singapore on 26 May 2012. It was held to replace the vacant seat after incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) Yaw Shin Leong was expelled from the Workers' Party (WP) following revelations of his extramarital affairs. This marked the first by-election in almost two decades since 1992 at the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

On polling day, the WP fielded Png Eng Huat, who won with 62.08% of the vote and defeated People's Action Party (PAP) candidate Desmond Choo, who received 37.92%. With this result, the WP successfully retained its long-held Hougang seat in Parliament, albeit with an slight negative swing of almost 3%. It was Singapore's first by-election of the 21st century.