Hougang Single Member Constituency

Hougang
Single Member constituency for the Parliament of Singapore
Region	North-East Region, Singapore
Electorate	26,468 (as of 2020)
Current constituency
Created	1988; 36 years ago (1988)
Seats	1
Party	Workers' Party
Member(s)	Dennis Tan
Town Council	Aljunied–Hougang

The Hougang Single Member Constituency is a single member constituency (SMC) located in the north-eastern area of Singapore. It is managed by Aljunied-Hougang Town Council. The current Member of Parliament is Dennis Tan of the Workers' Party (WP).

The constituency was first formed prior to the 1988 general election and was won by the People's Action Party (PAP) in its debut.

However, PAP's representation of Hougang SMC would only last three years, when it lost the seat to the Worker's Party (WP) candidate Low Thia Khiang after an almost 12% swing during the 1991 general election.

In the 2006 general election, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong was tasked to help the PAP win back the two opposition wards of Hougang SMC and Potong Pasir SMC with a $100 million plan to upgrade the constituency.^[1][2] However, Low retained the seat with 62.7% of the votes.^[2]

From 1991 to 2011, it was one of only two opposition-held (i.e. non-PAP) seats in Parliament.

During the 2011 general election, Low Thia Kiang left to contest the nearby Aljunied GRC, Yaw Shin Leong, who retained the seat with 65% of the vote.

On 15 February 2012, Yaw was expelled from the party for personal indiscretions, triggering a by-election.^[3] Png Eng Huat retained the seat for the party with 62.1% of the vote.^[4]

Png retired prior to the 2020 general election; the WP candidate Dennis Tan retained the seat in that election with 61.2% of the vote.^[5]

The seat is located in the North-East Region of the country, with the closest train station being the namesake Hougang MRT station on the North East MRT line and the Cross Island MRT line (currently under construction), although the station itself is not located within the SMC but just outside it, in the adjacent Aljunied GRC – which is also represented by WP MPs. Hougang Community Club and Hougang Neighbourhood Park are located within the constituency.

To prevent a monopoly of WP stronghold across Hougang New Town, it has to be divided into three constituencies - Aljunied GRC, Ang Mo Kio GRC and Hougang SMC. The remainder of Hougang consisting of Hougang Stadium, Sports Hall and Swimming Pool falls under Ang Mo Kio GRC.^[6]

The constituency has been labeled a stronghold for the WP by political analysts, having been retained by the party since 1991.^[5]

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%.

General Election 1991: Hougang^[9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	WP	Low Thia Khiang	10,621	52.82	N/A
	PAP	Tang Guan Seng	9,487	47.18	11.78
Majority			1,134	5.67	12.25
Registered electors			21,476		1.05
Total valid votes			20,108	97.77	0.4
Rejected ballots			458	2.23	0.4
Turnout			20,566	95.76	0.42
	WP gain from PAP		Swing	11.78

General Election 1997: Hougang^[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	WP	Low Thia Khiang	13,458	58.02	5.2
	PAP	Heng Chee How	9,736	41.98	N/A
Majority			3,722	16.04	10.37
Registered electors			24,423		13.72
Total valid votes			23,194	98.68	0.91
Rejected ballots			311	1.32	0.91
Turnout			23,505	96.24	0.48
	WP hold		Swing	5.2

General Election 2001: Hougang^[13][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	WP	Low Thia Khiang	12,070	54.98	3.0
	PAP	Eric Low	9,882	45.02	N/A
Majority			2,188	9.96	6.08
Registered electors			23,320		4.52
Total valid votes			21,952	98.67	0.01
Rejected ballots			295	1.33	0.01
Turnout			22,247	95.4	0.84
	WP hold		Swing	3.0

General Election 2006: Hougang^[15][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	WP	Low Thia Khiang	13,989	62.74	7.76
	PAP	Eric Low	8,308	37.26	7.76
Majority			5,681	25.48	15.52
Registered electors			23,759		1.88
Total valid votes			22,297	98.77	0.1
Rejected ballots			277	1.23	0.1
Turnout			22,574	95.01	0.39
	WP hold		Swing	7.76

General Election 2011: Hougang^[17][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	WP	Yaw Shin Leong	14,850	64.8	N/A
	PAP	Desmond Choo	8,065	35.2	N/A
Majority			6,785	29.6	4.12
Registered electors			24,560		3.37
Total valid votes			22,915	98.87	0.1
Rejected ballots			261	1.13	0.1
Turnout			23,176	94.36	0.65
	WP hold		Swing	2.06

By-election 2012: Hougang^[19][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	WP	Png Eng Huat	13,460	62.08	N/A
	PAP	Desmond Choo	8,223	37.92	2.7
Majority			5,237	24.16	5.44
Registered electors			23,368		4.85
Total valid votes			21,683	98.66	0.21
Rejected ballots			295	1.34	0.21
Turnout			21,978	93.9	0.4
	WP hold		Swing	2.7

General Election 2015: Hougang^[21][22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	WP	Png Eng Huat	13,012	57.69	4.39
	PAP	Lee Hong Chuang	9,543	42.31	N/A
Majority			3,469	15.38	8.78
Registered electors			24,097		3.12
Total valid votes			22,555	98.96	0.3
Rejected ballots			236	1.04	0.3
Turnout			22,791	94.58	0.18
	WP hold		Swing	4.39

General Election 2020: Hougang^[23][24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	WP	Dennis Tan	15,451	61.21	3.52
	PAP	Lee Hong Chuang	9,791	38.79	3.52
Majority			5,660	22.42	7.04
Registered electors			26,432		9.69
Total valid votes			25,242	98.93	0.03
Rejected ballots			272	1.07	0.03
Turnout			25,514	96.53	1.95
	WP hold		Swing	3.52

• Singh, Bilveer; Abdullah, Walid Jumblatt; Tan, Felix (December 2020). "The Workers? Party?s Victories in Hougang SMC, and Aljunied and Sengkang GRCS: An Analysis". Unmasking Singapore's 2020 General Elections: COVID-19 and the Evolving Political Landscape (Chapter 7: The Workers' Party's Victories in Hougang SMC, and Aljunied and Sengkang GRCs: An Analysis). World Scientific. pp. 133–153. doi:10.1142/9789811227646_0007. ISBN 9789811227639. S2CID 241947037. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
• James, Kieran (21 January 2021). "The struggle for Singapore's Chinese heartland: The People's Action Party versus the Workers' Party versus the Singapore Democratic Party, 1998–2013". Asian Journal of Comparative Politics. 7 (2): 233–250. doi:10.1177/2057891120988067. S2CID 234273053. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
• Phang, Zachary Mesney Li Hern (2021). "The Hougang Enigma: Why the Workers' Party retained Hougang SMC for 30 years despite the dominance and hegemonic position of the People's Action Party in Singapore's post-independence electoral system". Nanyang Technological University. hdl:10356/149823. Retrieved 16 April 2022. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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