List of political parties in Singapore
Encyclopedia
This is a list of political parties in Singapore
, including existing and historical ones. The earliest political parties were either branches of parent parties in Malaya
, or were established in the lead-up to Singapore first Legislative Council elections in 1948. Amongst the oldest parties, the Singapore Malay Union, traced its history back to 14 May 1926, but it was initially a non-political association, participating in elections only in 1955. The Progressive Party
and Labour Party, both established in the late 1940s, were some of the pioneering local establishments, with the PP the only party to contest in the first elections in 1948, and the LP coming on board in 1951. By 1955, the fledging British colony had seven parties contesting, and reached a pinnacle of 13 parties in 1959. A total of three parties were established in the 1940s, 12 in the 1950s and five in the 1960s.
In post-independence Singapore, the dominance of the People's Action Party
, which first came into power in 1959, somewhat cooled the flurry of political activism. On 16 May 1960, a new Societies Ordinance was passed, and in December 1966, local parties were forbidden from being affiliated to foreign ones. This directly impacting the handful of small Malaysia-linked parties, most of which renamed themselves and/or cut formal foreign ties. The PAP's dominance and Singapore's economic advancement further weakened the smaller opposition parties, and as of today, ten parties have officially dissolved, mostly through mergers with other parities.
Still, new parties continued to be established. Seven new parties were formed in the 1970s (including the Justice Party, Singapore and the United Front, the preprocessor of today's Democratic Progressive Party
), two in the 1980s (the Singapore Democratic Party
and the National Solidarity Party (NSP)), two in the 1990s (the Singapore National Front
and the Singapore People's Party
(SPP)), three in the 2000s, and as of now, two in the 2010s. The newest party, the Socialist Front
was established on 1 September 2010. There are therefore a total of 28 registered political parties today, of which eight have never contested in an election.
Over the years, alliances between political parties existed, but most did not last long. There are at present only one functioning multi-party alliance, the Singapore Democratic Alliance
, which was formed on 3 July 2001, initially composed of the SPP, NSP, Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura and the Justice Party, Singapore, with the SPP the lead party. The vision was to bring all opposition parties under one banner to counter the PAP's dominance, but it was met with limited success. The NSP left the alliance in 2007, and in 2010, the SPP itself left when there was internal disagreements over the SPP's attempts to bring in the newly formed Reform Party
.
The government has the power to dissolve the party if is contravenes the above rules, or any other rule applicable to all forms of registered societies.
Under the Political Donations Act which came into force on 15 February 2001, Political Associations are also barred from accepting any donation in cash or kind from impermissible donors, or from anonymous donors where the value exceeds S$5,000. The government announced that it was to "prevent foreigners from interfering in domestic politics through the financial support for any association's cause", and cited an example of a case in 1959 when S$700,000 was sent to Chew Swee Kee, then Education Minister from the Singapore People's Alliance
by a "neighbouring intelligence service in a "black operation" against the interests of Singapore". Another case was also cited pertaining to foreign financial support for Francis Seow
of the Workers' Party
in 1988. Critics noted that the Singapore government itself was responsible for giving $20,00 to Australian political parties through (Singtel-owned) Optus
, although the motives and details of the donation remain unverified.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, including existing and historical ones. The earliest political parties were either branches of parent parties in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
, or were established in the lead-up to Singapore first Legislative Council elections in 1948. Amongst the oldest parties, the Singapore Malay Union, traced its history back to 14 May 1926, but it was initially a non-political association, participating in elections only in 1955. The Progressive Party
Progressive Party (Singapore)
The Singapore Progressive Party , or just, the Progressive Party is a now defunct political party that was formed on August 25, 1947. It won the Legislative Assembly general elections in 1948 by winning half of the contested seats in the Legislative Assembly, 3 out of 6...
and Labour Party, both established in the late 1940s, were some of the pioneering local establishments, with the PP the only party to contest in the first elections in 1948, and the LP coming on board in 1951. By 1955, the fledging British colony had seven parties contesting, and reached a pinnacle of 13 parties in 1959. A total of three parties were established in the 1940s, 12 in the 1950s and five in the 1960s.
In post-independence Singapore, the dominance of the People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
, which first came into power in 1959, somewhat cooled the flurry of political activism. On 16 May 1960, a new Societies Ordinance was passed, and in December 1966, local parties were forbidden from being affiliated to foreign ones. This directly impacting the handful of small Malaysia-linked parties, most of which renamed themselves and/or cut formal foreign ties. The PAP's dominance and Singapore's economic advancement further weakened the smaller opposition parties, and as of today, ten parties have officially dissolved, mostly through mergers with other parities.
Still, new parties continued to be established. Seven new parties were formed in the 1970s (including the Justice Party, Singapore and the United Front, the preprocessor of today's Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party (Singapore)
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Singapore.-Overview:The history of the party dates back to 16 March 1973 when it was first setup by a splinter group from the Workers' Party and named the United Front. It was renamed the Singapore United Front on 5 March 1982, and in 1988,...
), two in the 1980s (the Singapore Democratic Party
Singapore Democratic Party
The Singapore Democratic Party is an opposition political party in Singapore.The party was founded in 1980 by Chiam See Tong, who as Secretary-General became the party's first Member of Parliament in 1984 when he was elected as MP for Potong Pasir...
and the National Solidarity Party (NSP)), two in the 1990s (the Singapore National Front
Singapore National Front
The Singapore National Front , is a Singapore Malay-based political party formed by exit faction members from Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura members whom was a group of Malay professionals in 15 August 1991.It did not take part in any elections to date and hence little notability was known...
and the Singapore People's Party
Singapore People's Party
The Singapore People's Party is a left of centre opposition political party in Singapore. The party's leader is Chiam See Tong.-Foundation:...
(SPP)), three in the 2000s, and as of now, two in the 2010s. The newest party, the Socialist Front
Socialist Front (Singapore)
The Socialist Front is a political party in Singapore. The SF was formed in 2010 by several former Reform Party and Workers' Party members. The party has the objective of establishing a socialist state in Singapore should it be elected to government...
was established on 1 September 2010. There are therefore a total of 28 registered political parties today, of which eight have never contested in an election.
Over the years, alliances between political parties existed, but most did not last long. There are at present only one functioning multi-party alliance, the Singapore Democratic Alliance
Singapore Democratic Alliance
The Singapore Democratic Alliance is an alliance of political parties in Singapore. The SDA was formed shortly before the 2001 general election to provide a common grouping under which different opposition parties could stand as a united front in elections against the ruling People's Action Party...
, which was formed on 3 July 2001, initially composed of the SPP, NSP, Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura and the Justice Party, Singapore, with the SPP the lead party. The vision was to bring all opposition parties under one banner to counter the PAP's dominance, but it was met with limited success. The NSP left the alliance in 2007, and in 2010, the SPP itself left when there was internal disagreements over the SPP's attempts to bring in the newly formed Reform Party
Reform Party (Singapore)
The Reform Party is a political party in Singapore. It was founded in 2008 by the late Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, and is currently headed by his son Kenneth Jeyaretnam, who succeeded him as party secretary-general after the elder Jeyaretnam died in 2008...
.
Legislation
Under the current legislation, all political parties (termed "Political Associations") must be registered under the Societies Act. As such, the following rules pertaining to political associations apply:- All members of political parties must be Singaporean citizens.
- Political Association must not be affiliated or connected with any organisation outside Singapore. The fact that a political association uses a name or symbol which is the same as that of an organisation outside Singapore shall be deemed to be sufficient evidence that the political association has an affiliation or connection with that organisation.
The government has the power to dissolve the party if is contravenes the above rules, or any other rule applicable to all forms of registered societies.
Under the Political Donations Act which came into force on 15 February 2001, Political Associations are also barred from accepting any donation in cash or kind from impermissible donors, or from anonymous donors where the value exceeds S$5,000. The government announced that it was to "prevent foreigners from interfering in domestic politics through the financial support for any association's cause", and cited an example of a case in 1959 when S$700,000 was sent to Chew Swee Kee, then Education Minister from the Singapore People's Alliance
Singapore People's Alliance
The Singapore People's Alliance was a political party in Singapore founded in 1959 that was drawn from the abandoned political party Labour Front and has never won any seats in the Parliament of Singapore...
by a "neighbouring intelligence service in a "black operation" against the interests of Singapore". Another case was also cited pertaining to foreign financial support for Francis Seow
Francis Seow
Francis Seow is a Singapore-born political dissident who is in exile from Singapore after lawsuits by the former Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew. He was educated at Saint Joseph's Institution in Singapore and at the Middle Temple in London...
of the Workers' Party
Workers' Party of Singapore
The Workers' Party of Singapore is a centre-left opposition political party in Singapore. The party currently has six elected seats in Parliament, with the party's Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, Chairman Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh serving as Members of...
in 1988. Critics noted that the Singapore government itself was responsible for giving $20,00 to Australian political parties through (Singtel-owned) Optus
Optus
SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
, although the motives and details of the donation remain unverified.
Political parties
| Party | Other/ Previous name(s) | Established | Registered | Dissolved | Years contested | Accumulative votes | Average votes | URL | Facebook URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 新加坡联盟党 Parti Perikatan Singapura |
Singapore Alliance or Perikatan Singapura (1963-1965) | 30 May 1963 | 17 February 1966 | NA | 1963 | 48,967 | 48,967 | ||
| Islamic Movement 回教阵线 |
Pan-Malayan Islamic Party or Persatuan Islam Setanah Melayu (1958-1967) |
- | 6 August 1958 | NA | 1959, 1963, 1984, 1988 | 3,195 | 799 | ||
| Socialist Front 社会主义阵线 |
- | - | 15 August 1961 | NA | 1963, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984 | 293,895 | 58,779 | ||
| 公民党 Parti Warganegara |
- | 25 February 1959 | - | 13 September 1960 | 1959 | 3,210 | 3,210 | ||
| 民主党 Parti Demokratik |
- | 11 February 1955 | - | 5 February 1956 | 1955 | 32,115 | 32,115 | ||
| 民主进步党 Parti Demokratik Progresif |
United Front (1973-1982) Singapore United Front (1982-1991) |
- | 16 March 1973 | NA | 1976, 1980, 1984, 1997, 2001 | 178,509 | 35,702 | ||
| 新加坡正义党 Parti Keadilan Singapura |
Singapore Justice Party (Used in GE of 1976, 1980) | - | 10 August 1972 | NA | 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1991 (2001, 2006, 2011 with SDA) |
51,258 | 10,252 | ||
| 加东居民统一工会 Persatuan Penduduk Bersatu Katong |
- | 11 January 1959 | - | 23 June 1960 | 1959 | 1,759 | 1,759 | ||
| 劳工阵线 Barisan Buroh |
- | 21 August 1954 | - | 28 February 1960 | 1955, 1959 | 45,714 | 22,857 | ||
| 劳工党 Parti Buroh |
- | 23 March 1948 | - | 1961 | 1951 | 7,335 | 7,335 | ||
| 自由社会党 Parti Liberal Sosialis |
- | 5 February 1956 | 24 May 1961 | 10 September 1963 | 1959 | 42,805 | 42,805 | ||
| 新加坡国民党 Parti Nasional Singapura |
- | - | 26 February 1971 | NA | Never contested | NA | NA | ||
| 国民团结党 Parti Perpaduan Nasional |
- | - | 6 March 1987 | NA | 1988, 1991, 1997 (2001, 2006 with SDA), 2011 |
156,060 | 99,607 | http://www.nsp.sg | http://www.facebook.com/nspsg |
| People's Party (Singapore State Division) 人民党 (新加坡州部) |
- | 11 November 1955 | 18 June 1962 | NA | 1959, 1963 | 10,265 | 5,133 | ||
| United Democratic Party 民主统一党 |
- | - | 18 June 1962 | NA | 1963 | 760 | 760 | ||
| 人民行动党 Parti Tindakan Rakyat |
- | 21 November 1954 | 18 February 1961 | NA | 1955, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2011 |
5,822,335 | 502354 | http://www.pap.sg | http://www.facebook.com/pap.sg |
| 人民阵线 Barisan Rakyat |
- | - | 21 May 1971 | NA | 1972, 1976 | 25,280 | 12,640 | ||
| 人民自由民主党 Parti Liberal Demokratik Rakyat |
- | - | 2 May 2006 | NA | Never contested | NA | NA | ||
| 人民共和党 Parti Rakyat Republik |
- | - | 30 August 1973 | NA | Never contested | NA | NA | ||
| Singapore Malays Association 新加坡马来人协会 |
- | - | 2 February 1952 | NA | Never contested | NA | NA | ||
| Singapore Malay National Organisation 新加坡马来国民机构 |
Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu or United Malays National Organisation (1951-1967) |
23 December 1951 | 20 February 1961 | NA | 1955, 1959, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1991 (2001, 2006, 2011 with SDA) |
97,044 | 12,131 | http://www.pkms.org | http://www.facebook.com/PERTUBUHAN.KEBANGSAAN.MELAYU.SINGAPURA |
| 进步党 Parti Progresif |
- | 25 August 1947 | - | 10 May 1956 | 1948, 1951, 1955 | 61,651 | 20,550 | ||
| 革新党 Parti Reformasi |
- | - | 3 July 2008 | NA | 2011 | 86,294 | 86,294 | http://www.thereformparty.net | http://www.facebook.com/thereformparty |
| 新加坡华人党 Parti Cina Singapura |
Malayan Chinese Association (1950-1967) | - | 26 September 1950 | NA | 1955, 1959 (1972 under UNF) | 11,796 | 5,898 | ||
| 新加坡国民大会党 Kongres Singapura |
- | 9 May 1960 | - | 29 January 1962 | 1961 (By) | ||||
| 新加坡民主联盟 Perikatan Demokratik Singapura |
- | - | 3 July 2001 | NA | 2001, 2006, 2011 | 276,808 | 92,269 | http://www.sgda.org.sg | |
| 新加坡印度国民大会党 Kongres India Singapura |
Singapore Regional Indian Congress (1946-1953) Malayan Indian Congress (1953-1968) |
August 1946 | 7 August 1962 | NA | 1959 | 2,092 | 2,092 | ||
| 新加坡马来人联合会 Kesatuan Melayu Singapura |
- | 14 May 1926 | - | 1961 | 1955, 1957 (By-election), 1959 | 4,052 | 2,026 | ||
| 新加坡国民阵线 Barisan Nasional Singapura |
- | - | 15 August 1991 | NA | Never contested | NA | NA | ||
| 新加坡人民联盟 Perikatan Rakyat Singapura |
- | 10 November 1958 | - | 16 May 1965 | 1959 | 107,755 | 107,755 | ||
| 新加坡人民党 Parti Rakyat Singapura |
- | - | 21 November 1994 | NA | 1997 (2001, 2006 with SDA), 2011 | 16,746 | 39,625 | http://www.spp.org.sg | http://www.facebook.com/SingaporePeoplesParty |
| 新加坡民主党 Parti Demokratik Singapura |
- | 6 August 1980 | 8 September 1980 | NA | 1980, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2011 |
468,264 | 70,688 | http://www.yoursdp.org | http://www.facebook.com/yoursdp |
| 社会主义阵线 Barisan Sosialis |
- | - | 1 September 2010 | NA | Never contested | NA | NA | http://www.socialistfront.org | |
| 联合国民阵线 Barisan Nasional Bersatu |
- | - | 6 March 1970 | NA | 1972 | 55,001 | 55,001 | ||
| 人民联合阵线 Barisan Rakyat Bersatu |
- | - | 20 March 1975 | NA | 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988 | 87,318 | 21,830 | ||
| 人民统一党 Parti Ra'ayat Bersatu |
- | - | 14 July 1961 | NA | 1963 | 48,785 | 48,785 | ||
| 统一新加坡民主党 Demokrat Singapura Bersatu |
- | - | 25 March 2010 | NA | Never contested | NA | NA | ||
| 工人党 Parti Pekerja |
- | 3 November 1957 | 30 January 1961 | NA | 1959, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2011 |
1,239,577 | 95,352 | http://www.wp.sg | http://www.facebook.com/workersparty |
Other defunct parties
- Malayan Communist PartyMalayan Communist PartyThe Malayan Communist Party , officially known as the Communist Party of Malaya , was founded in 1930 and laid down its arms in 1989. It is most famous for its role in the Malayan Emergency.-Formation:...
- Malayan Democratic Union (dissolved in 1948)
- Singapore Socialist Party (merged to form Labour FrontLabour FrontThe Labour Front was a political party in Singapore. It was founded before the 1955 legislative council elections by David Saul Marshall, Singapore's first chief minister in 1955 and Lim Yew Hock, Singapore's second chief minister...
)
See also
- Politics of SingaporePolitics of SingaporeThe politics of Singapore takes the form of a parliamentary republic whereby the President of Singapore is the head of state, the Prime Minister of Singapore is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the cabinet. Cabinet has the general direction and...
- List of political parties by country
- Non-constituency Member of ParliamentNon-Constituency Member of ParliamentNon-Constituency Members of Parliament are members of the opposition parties who are appointed as members of the Parliament of Singapore even though they had lost in the parliamentary election....
- Constituencies of SingaporeConstituencies of SingaporeConstituencies in Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Constituencies are classified as either single member or group representation constituencies...