Pritam Singh holds on to party chief position after secret vote at WP special cadres conference
The conference was called after 25 cadres asked Mr Singh to account for his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee.
Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh arrives for a special cadres conference on Jun 28, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
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SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party (WP) secretary-general Pritam Singh has survived a secret vote on his leadership at the opposition party’s special cadres conference on Sunday (Jun 28), with no challengers to his position.
The party also held its biennial elections, at which Mr Singh was returned as secretary-general, Ms Sylvia Lim was re-elected as chair of the central executive committee (CEC), and cadres elected 12 others – including former chief Low Thia Khiang – to the party’s top decision-making body.
The other CEC members are:
Mr Abdul Muhaimin bin Abdul Malik
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong
Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan
Mr Gerald Giam
Mr Harpreet Singh
Ms He Ting Ru
Mr Jamus Lim
Mr Kenneth Tiong
Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap
Mr Tan Kong Soon
At the cadre conference, Mr Singh gave an account of the December 2025 court decision and took questions from cadres, said Mr Giam. The discussion was robust and civil, and Mr Singh answered all questions put to him, he added.
Cadres then voted – “well in excess of the supermajority” – for Mr Singh to remain secretary-general, Mr Giam said.
“This reflects the party’s commitment to the democratic process and due process given to Mr Singh, and to everybody who wanted to requisition this special meeting,” said Mr Giam, who was among those re-elected to the CEC.
The outcome reflected the “considered judgment” of WP’s cadres, the party said in a statement. The subsequent election of a new CEC had established a clear democratic mandate for the next term, it added.
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“The party is united behind its leadership and remains fully focused on its work for all Singaporeans in parliament and on the ground. We continue the work of building a more balanced political system for Singapore.”
The special cadres conference was called after 25 cadre members requisitioned it at the end of last year. Mr Singh was asked to account for his conviction on charges of lying to a Committee of Privileges, and to step down from his position or face a secret vote.
Ahead of the conference, former secretary-general Low Thia Khiang, who led the party from 2001 to 2018, told reporters he would support Mr Singh.
Earlier this year, the CEC issued Mr Singh a letter of reprimand after an internal disciplinary process over his court conviction.
The committee accepted findings from a disciplinary panel that Mr Singh had contravened the party constitution, but assessed that he had not intended to act against WP’s principles, aims or interests. The three-member disciplinary panel comprised Sengkang GRC MPs Jamus Lim and He Ting Ru, and former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat.
Singapore’s High Court in December 2025 upheld Mr Singh’s conviction on two counts of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee – charges that arose from his handling of a false statement made in parliament by former WP MP Raeesah Khan.
Parliament in January backed a motion expressing regret at his conduct, with 10 WP MPs and one Non-Constituency MP recording their dissent.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong subsequently removed Mr Singh as Leader of the Opposition and invited WP to nominate another MP to the role. The party declined.
Mr Singh first became WP’s secretary-general in 2018 and was re-elected unopposed in 2020, 2022 and 2024.
Source: CNA/an(cy)
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