J.B. Jeyaretnam Won Anson By-Election
Saturday, 31st October 1981
Three candidates stood in the by-election: Pang Kim Hin of the Peoples' Action Party (PAP), J.B. Jeyaretnam of the Worker's Party (WP) and Harbans Singh of the United People's Front (UPF). The by-election was won (51.9%) by the leader of the WP, J.B. Jeyaretnam, defeated (47.1%) the candidate of the governing PAP Pang Kim Hin. UPF had on 1% of the votes. The by-election marked the first occasion since Singapore's independence in which a PAP candidate was defeated in an election for a seat in Parliament.
The by-election caused by Devan Nair stepping down as Anson's Member of Parliament in order to become President of Singapore succeeding Benjamin Sheares, who had died on 12 May 1981.