With more discerning electorate, smaller opposition parties face uncertain future

Smaller opposition parties fared poorly at the 2025 General Election, with a swing in votes to the PAP. They will now have to reckon with their role in Singapore's evolving political landscape.

- Lee Li Ying

Fiery speeches and calls for change galvanised crowds at election rallies during the hustings, with opposition parties and their supporters eager for a breakthrough in the 2025 General Election.

But as rain fell in the pre-dawn hours after Polling Day on May 3, those flames were dampened by a swing in votes to the PAP.

The ruling party won 87 out of 97 parliamentary seats, and increased its popular vote share to 65.57 per cent.

On the opposition front, the WP retained its 10 seats and gained two Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seats. The party's vote share also held steady at 50.04 per cent, just shy of the 50.49 per cent it garnered in 2020.

Other opposition parties struggled to gain traction - their popular vote share ranged from 1.19 per cent to 36.25 per cent.

The PSP lost in all six constituencies it contested, including West Coast-Jurong West GRC, where it narrowly lost in the 2020 election and in so doing, secured two NCMP seats.

This means the PSP will no longer have a parliamentary presence - an outcome that appeared to have stunned the party, which cancelled its post-results press conference.

Over at MOE (Evans) Stadium where Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) supporters were gathered, the party extended its 28-year wait to return to Parliament as secretary-general Chee Soon Juan was narrowly pipped to an NCMP seat - by less than 1 percentage point.

As Dr Chee's head hung heavy, over his shoulder, volunteers quietly deflated a giant red balloon that had been a jubilant feature at the party's night rallies during the campaign period.

For four opposition parties - the National Solidarity Party (NSP), People's Power Party (PPP), People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) and Singapore United Party (SUP) - the sting of defeat cut deeper with financial losses.

All candidates from NSP, PPP and SUP and two from PAR each lost their $13,500 deposit for not garnering at least 12.5 per cent of the votes contested.