1991 Singaporean general election

1991 Singaporean general election

← 1988 31 August 1991 1997 →

All 81 directly elected seats in Parliament (and up to 3 NCMPs)
Registered847,716 / 1,692,384
Turnout95.03% (Increase 0.33pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Goh Chok Tong Chiam See Tong J. B. Jeyaretnam
Party PAP SDP WP
Last election 63.17%, 80 seats 11.80%, 1 seat 16.72%, 1 seat
Seats won 77 3 1
Seat change Decrease 3 Increase 2 Steady
Popular vote 477,760 93,856 112,010
Percentage 60.97% 11.98% 14.29%
Swing Decrease 2.20pp Increase 0.18pp Decrease 2.43pp

Results by constituency

Prime Minister before election

Goh Chok Tong
PAP

Prime Minister after election

Goh Chok Tong
PAP

General elections were held in Singapore on 31 August 1991. President Wee Kim Wee dissolved parliament on 14 August 1991 on the advice of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

The result was a victory for the People's Action Party, which won 77 of the 81 seats while the opposition won four. The Worker's Party won Hougang SMC and the Singapore Democratic Party retained Potong Pasir SMC and won Nee Soon Central SMC and Bukit Gombak SMC. This marked the largest representation for opposition parties in Parliament since independence, and was the first time an opposition party won multiple SMCs.

Voter turnout was 95%, although this figure represented the turnout in the 25 constituencies to be contested,[1] with PAP candidates earning walkovers in the other 41; this was the second general election, after the 1968, where PAP returned to power on nomination day due to a majority of walkovers; a collaborative effort amongst all the opposition parties headed by Chiam See Tong decided to not contest all seats, so as to reassure voters to vote in ease for the opposition, known as a "by-election effect". This was to date, the only election, where no Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) seats were offered, as the four seats won by the opposition is more than the minimum number of opposition MPs in Parliament at three.

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p255 ISBN 0-19-924959-8