The results of the 2025 General Election showed that the "challenges are real" for opposition parties to make further inroads in Singapore's political system, said Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh.

"I keep telling people… that we are a small party, and I hope you have gotten a perspective of why I say that," said Singh at Bedok Reservoir Food Centre on Sunday (April 4).

"But the least we can do for fellow Singaporeans is to do our best. And in these elections, I'm actually very proud to say the Workers' Party did its best. And I think everybody associated with the party should be very proud of themselves."

These were his first comments to reporters after Singapore took to the ballot boxes the previous day. The ruling PAP recorded a landslide victory with 65.57 per cent of the popular vote, winning 87 out of 97 parliamentary seats. It also had a commanding swing from its 61.24 per cent share in the last general election.

The WP, meanwhile, managed to retain 10 of the seats from Aljunied and Sengkang GRC, as well as its stronghold of Hougang GRC.

Despite fielding what WP leaders described as their "best ever slate of candidates" — some 26 of them in five GRCs and three SMCs — the opposition party failed to win further seats in this election.

The WP's vote share, at 50.04 per cent, was also a slight 0.45 dip from 2020.

But Singh said that this figure is "incredibly negligible", when compared to the "nationwide swing in favour of the PAP".

"I think we've done very commendably," he said, adding that the "wider international environment" might have resonated with some voters.

Singh was also asked if the results were what his party had expected after the nine days of campaigning.

This was after long lines of people were seen queuing up to take selfies with some of the WP's new faces, and thousands of spectators reported watching their rallies.

"We never assumed that just because there's a lot of support online or on the ground, that will translate into votes," said Singh. "That's up to the Singaporean voter to determine, but our job is to make sure we put up a good slate and put up a good proposition for Singaporeans."

On his party's strategy, Singh said that he "understood the sentiment" that the WP could have won more seats if it had fielded a stronger team with fewer new faces.

The party saw close contests in Punggol GRC, Tampines GRC, as well as the single-seat ward in Jalan Kayu.

"But you see, if you put somebody else, then either you weaken another team, or you strengthen another team, and then your overall strategy is not in equilibrium anymore," he said.

Singh's five-member Aljunied slate comprising of WP chair Sylvia Lim, Gerald Giam, Fadli Fawzi and Kenneth Tiong retained the constituency with 59.68 per cent of votes, defeating the PAP's 40.32 per cent.

There were handshakes, hugs and even offers of beer from supporters during Sunday's walkabout at the coffee shop.

Aljunied resident Tong Siew Peng, 67, said that she had been waiting for nearly five hours at the coffee shop to greet Singh.

"He's my idol. So warm and friendly," the WP supporter said, who was with her five-year-old grand daughter wielding an inflatable hammer.

Following the election results, The WP will also be offered two Non-Constituency MP seats, after its showing in Jalan Kayu SMC and Tampines GRC, which had the highest vote percentages among losers at the polls.

In Tampines GRC, WP won 47.37 per cent of the votes, while in Jalan Kayu SMC, Low secured 48.53 per cent of the votes.

After clarifying that the party has not decided on the NCMP appointments, Lim said that she sees the election results not a setback, but an "opportunity".

"If you look at the 10 MPs that are elected, actually three of them have not been in parliament before," she said, pointing to Aljunied GRC's Fadli and Tiong, as well as Sengkang GRC's new face Abdul Muhaimin.

"So, these are our up-and-coming young leaders that will now have a seat in parliament and demonstrate what they can do and what the party can do for our electorate and for Singaporeans in general,"

Singh, meanwhile, reiterated that his party is a "force for good" — a line he has repeated throughout the campaigning.

"We did our best… the PAP is going to do everything it can to make sure that the tide of the opposition is halted, and it's our job to try and make sure that we can communicate our message to the public and inform them why it is in our self-interest to move towards a more balanced political system," he said.

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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