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SINGAPORE \u2013 Workers\u2019 Party chief Pritam Singh was returned unopposed at the party\u2019s internal elections on June 28 after a group of unhappy cadres failed to force his resignation at an earlier meeting on the same day.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n This solidifies his leadership of Singapore\u2019s largest opposition party after several years of challenges stemming from former Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan\u2019s lies to Parliament in 2021,<\/span><\/a> said analysts.<\/p>\n Speaking to the media after his re-election, Singh said: \u201cThe party understands that its purpose is to behave in a rational and responsible way, and represent Singaporeans faithfully.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if we want to continue to do that, I think we have to close ranks as any reasonable and respectable political party ought to do.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the outcome of a secret ballot on his resignation showed that \u201cthe party is pretty united\u201d, while declining to reveal the vote\u2019s exact figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam, who chaired that meeting, said Singh had secured \u201cwell in excess of a supermajority\u201d of support from the party\u2019s inner circle, who number slightly more than 100.<\/p>\n Party sources said Singh received about 80 per cent of the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n The meeting had a robust and civil discussion with only one round of voting, Giam said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cadres were able to raise their concerns and Singh delivered a statement and answered their questions. \u201cThere was a proper accountability, accounting for the question at hand,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n The conference was triggered by a December 2025 letter signed by 25 unhappy cadres, sparked in part by Singh\u2019s legal troubles.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n It had three items on the agenda: for Singh to account to cadres for his behaviour leading up to his court conviction, for him to step down, and for him to face a secret vote on his continued leadership if he did not step down.\u00a0<\/p>\n Asked about the disgruntled cadres, Singh said the matters they <\/b>raised had been dealt with.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI\u2019m quite sure they respect the democratic process, as we all do, and the decision was what the cadres decided it ought to be.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a petition, and it was a reflection of how we do things at the party, and I think it\u2019s important for us to speak what\u2019s on our mind, share our values, and that\u2019s what the party did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Leading up to the vote, the unhappy faction had been searching for a challenger to Singh, amid uncertainty over former chief Low Thia Khiang\u2019s continued support for his successor.<\/p>\n Early on June 28, Low laid these rumours to rest, telling the media that he continues to support Singh, as he made his way to the meetings, which started at noon.\u00a0<\/p>\n The special cadres conference was followed by the party\u2019s usual biennial internal elections at 3pm. There, WP chair Sylvia Lim was returned as well to a position she has held since 2003.\u00a0<\/p>\n The party also elected 12 other members of its top decision-making body \u2013 its central executive committee (CEC). Most were re-elected from the previous CEC.<\/p>\n Four of the 12 are not sitting MPs \u2013 Low, former Aljunied GRC MP Faisal Manap, long-time CEC member Tan Kong Soon and the sole new addition, senior counsel Harpreet Singh. He ran as part of the WP\u2019s Punggol GRC team at the last general election in May 2025.<\/p>\n The party can still co-opt another seven members to its CEC and typically does this about a month after the election.<\/p>\n In a social media post following the election, Harpreet Singh said WP cadres did not act with \u201cblind loyalty\u201d in re-electing Pritam Singh.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead, they made a careful assessment based on his track record, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have all seen that through his tireless service, his calm under sustained political pressure, and his steady, measured leadership that has brought the party to significant milestones in Singapore\u2019s parliamentary history,\u201d he said on LinkedIn.\u00a0<\/p>\n The vote was to decide whether Pritam Singh remained fit to lead the party after the High Court upheld his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee,<\/span><\/a> he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNone of this is meant to dismiss the court decision \u2013 the judgment stands and must be respected,\u201d Harpreet Singh said. \u201cBut a person\u2019s full history matters when assessing character.\u201d<\/p>\n The meetings came two months after Pritam Singh received a formal letter of reprimand from the CEC over his conviction for lying in Parliament about his handling of Khan\u2019s matter.<\/p>\n