Singaporean general election, 1976
Encyclopedia
General elections were held in Singapore
on 23 December 1976. The result was a victory for the People's Action Party
, which won all 69 seats, the third of four consecutive elections in which they repeated the feat. Voter turnout was 95.1%, although this figure represents the turnout in the 53 constituencies to be contested, with PAP candidates earning walkovers in the other sixteen.
, who was to become Singapore's next Prime Minister after Lee Kuan Yew
in 1990, and Chiam See Tong
, standing as independent candidate, who later became Singapore's longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament in the Potong Pasir constituency. Given the record of PAP's governance, some opposition parties began to adopt a stand more in sync with the people's sentiments that no matter how trusted PAP was, a few opposition MPs in Parliament can serve as a check and balance on the PAP government, which was considered to have become authoritarian after being in power for so long and had denied Singaporeans their voices and choices by changing the laws in its favour and employing hard tactics. Five opposition parties - Barisan Sosialis
, Singapore Justice Party
, PKMS, United Front and Workers' Party
- formed a Joint Opposition Council to cooperate at the polls. A seat was vacated when PAP MP Wee Toon Boon resigned on 15 September 1976 after being convicted for corruption. Originally sentenced to three years in prison, this reduced to 18 months after a successful appeal by his lawyer, who was former politician David Marshall
. No by-election was held as it was near a GE and Wee's Sepoy seat would be delineated. For the first time, election deposit increased to S$1200 and the amount more-than-doubled following a new scheme to peg it to one-eighth of an MP's annual Parliamentary allowance. This election was PAP's third clean sweep of all seats and also the first time there was no by-election after a preceding GE.
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...
on 23 December 1976. The result was a victory for 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 won all 69 seats, the third of four consecutive elections in which they repeated the feat. Voter turnout was 95.1%, although this figure represents the turnout in the 53 constituencies to be contested, with PAP candidates earning walkovers in the other sixteen.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.... |
590,169 | 74.1 | 69 | |
| 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... |
91,966 | 11.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Singapore United Front | 56,191 | 7.1 | 0 | New |
| Barisan Sosialis Barisan Sosialis The Barisan Sosialis is a former Singaporean left-wing political party formed in 1961, by left-wing members of the People's Action Party and led by Dr Lee Siew Choh and Lim Chin Siong.-Formation:... |
25,411 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 |
| United People's Front | 14,233 | 1.8 | 0 | New |
| Singapore Malay National Organisation Singapore Malay National Organisation The Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura is a political party in Singapore. The party recently concluded their AGM on 8th August 2010. The current president is Mr Ali bin Asjadi, while the party's secretary general is Mr Mohd Nazem Suki.-External links:*Related Links:... |
9,230 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Singapore Justice Party Singapore Justice Party The Justice Party, Singapore is a political party in Singapore.The party has been based mostly in Marine Parade district of Singapore since the party has taken part in general elections after 1988 by fielding its candidates only at Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency... |
5,199 | 0.7 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 4,173 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 18,558 | |||
| Total | 815,130 | 100 | 69 | +4 |
| Source: Nohlen et al | ||||
Aftermath
This was the electoral debut of both Goh Chok TongGoh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
, who was to become Singapore's next Prime Minister after Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
in 1990, and Chiam See Tong
Chiam See Tong
Chiam See Tong is a politician and lawyer from Singapore. He is the country's longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament . Between 1984 and 2011, he represented the constituency of Potong Pasir in Singapore's Parliament....
, standing as independent candidate, who later became Singapore's longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament in the Potong Pasir constituency. Given the record of PAP's governance, some opposition parties began to adopt a stand more in sync with the people's sentiments that no matter how trusted PAP was, a few opposition MPs in Parliament can serve as a check and balance on the PAP government, which was considered to have become authoritarian after being in power for so long and had denied Singaporeans their voices and choices by changing the laws in its favour and employing hard tactics. Five opposition parties - Barisan Sosialis
Barisan Sosialis
The Barisan Sosialis is a former Singaporean left-wing political party formed in 1961, by left-wing members of the People's Action Party and led by Dr Lee Siew Choh and Lim Chin Siong.-Formation:...
, Singapore Justice Party
Singapore Justice Party
The Justice Party, Singapore is a political party in Singapore.The party has been based mostly in Marine Parade district of Singapore since the party has taken part in general elections after 1988 by fielding its candidates only at Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency...
, PKMS, United Front and 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...
- formed a Joint Opposition Council to cooperate at the polls. A seat was vacated when PAP MP Wee Toon Boon resigned on 15 September 1976 after being convicted for corruption. Originally sentenced to three years in prison, this reduced to 18 months after a successful appeal by his lawyer, who was former politician David Marshall
David Marshall
Dave Marshall or David Marshall may refer to:* Dave Marshall , former professional baseball player* Dave Marshall , guitarist with Vince Neil and Slaughter...
. No by-election was held as it was near a GE and Wee's Sepoy seat would be delineated. For the first time, election deposit increased to S$1200 and the amount more-than-doubled following a new scheme to peg it to one-eighth of an MP's annual Parliamentary allowance. This election was PAP's third clean sweep of all seats and also the first time there was no by-election after a preceding GE.