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Elections in Singapore

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Elections in Singapore comprise two types: parliamentary and presidential elections. Under the Constitution of Singapore, a general election must be held within three months of the dissolution of Parliament, which has a maximum term of five years from the date of its first sitting. Presidential elections are held every six years. All elections in Singapore operate under the first-past-the-post voting (FPTP) system.

Singapore employs an official sample count system to provide early indications of election outcomes. At each polling station, a counting assistant randomly selects 100 ballots, which are then tallied to produce a mini-sample. These samples are aggregated and weighted according to the number of votes cast at each station to generate constituency-level projections. Based on simple random sampling, the estimates typically achieve a 95% confidence level with a margin of error of 4–5%. This system is designed to offer a statistically reliable and timely snapshot of the likely results shortly after the close of polls.[1] In contrast, countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia rely on the progressive counting and real-time reporting of actual vote returns from precincts or count centres. While this approach offers greater transparency at a granular level, it generally results in slower reporting compared to Singapore's sample-based method.[2]

Unlike many other countries where elections are administered by independent electoral commissions, elections in Singapore are conducted by the Elections Department Singapore (ELD), which is a department under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) of the Government of Singapore. On polling day during elections, voting takes place from 08:00 to 20:00 SST (UTC+08:00). Sample count results are typically released by 22:30, with final results announced by the Returning Officer by approximately 03:00 the following morning. Victory parades by elected candidates in their respective constituencies customarily commence at 08:30 later that day.[3][4]

The last presidential election was held in 2023, which was won by Tharman Shanmugaratnam with 70.41% of the vote. The last general election was held in 2025, which elected 97 seats to the unicameral Parliament of Singapore. Since the 1959 Singaporean general election, the People's Action Party (PAP) has maintained a dominant position, consistently securing a supermajority of seats and forming the government in every successive general election.

Parliamentary elections

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Main article: Parliamentary elections in Singapore

Political climate

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Dominance of the People's Action Party (1965–1981)

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From Singapore's independence in 1965 until 1981, the People's Action Party (PAP) has secured every seat in Parliament across successive general elections, resulting in a legislature devoid of elected opposition members for nearly two decades. During this period, numerous opposition politicians and trade unionists were detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Notable figures such as Lim Chin Siong, Said Zahari, Lim Hock Siew and Chia Thye Poh were among those detained, accused of involvement in subversive communist activities as part of the climate of the Cold War. Some individuals, including opposition candidates declared bankrupt or convicted of criminal offenses, were rendered ineligible to contest elections. Social commentators have argued that such measures contributed to a climate of fear and suppressed dissent in Singapore's political scene.[5]

Opposition representation and electoral reforms (1980s–1990s)

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The political landscape began to shift in the 1980s. In 1981, J. B. Jeyaretnam of the Workers' Party (WP) won a by-election in Anson, becoming the first elected opposition MP since independence. He was followed by Chiam See Tong of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in 1984, further breaking the PAP's parliamentary monopoly although retaining its supermajority. To institutionalise broader representation, the PAP government introduced two key schemes: the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme in 1984, which granted parliamentary seats to the best-performing unelected opposition candidates, and the Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) scheme in 1990, allowing appointed nonpartisan individuals to contribute to parliamentary debate. The NCMP scheme has evolved over time, with its seat allocation increasing from three in its early years to nine in the 2010s, and later to twelve from the 2020 general election onwards.

Electoral reforms continued with the introduction of the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system in 1988. Under this system, candidates contest in teams of three to six, and each team must include at least one member from a recognised minority group, in order to ensure ethnic representation in Parliament. The GRC model also places town council management under the purview of the elected MPs. However, critics argue that GRCs make it more difficult for opposition parties to contest, as they must field entire teams, often including minority candidates, and compete in larger constituencies. Some GRCs have seen repeated walkovers where PAP teams were elected unopposed. Observers and analysts have also described the system as a form of gerrymandering, limiting the opposition's electoral prospects.[6]

Contemporary political landscape

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The delineation of electoral boundaries is overseen by the Elections Department (ELD), which is part of the executive branch under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), rather than an independent agency. The ELD does not publicly disclose detailed justifications for changes to electoral boundaries, citing general reasons such as population changes and the need to balance electorate sizes. This process has been criticised for a lack of transparency and perceived partisanship, particularly when constituencies with significant opposition support and narrow victories for the PAP, such as Cheng San GRC and Eunos GRC, were redrawn or dissolved in subsequent elections. Similarly, single-member constituencies (SMCs), like Bukit Batok SMC and Yuhua SMC, which saw close contests, were previously absorbed into GRCs, only to be later restored.[7]

Despite ongoing criticisms of electoral engineering, international observers such as Freedom House have assessed Singapore's elections as free from electoral fraud, including vote tampering or ballot rigging. However, these elections are conducted within a tightly controlled political environment that raises broader concerns about electoral fairness. Civil rights monitors have highlighted systemic issues such as the lack of an independent elections commission, the significant influence of the ruling PAP over state institutions and restrictions on opposition activities.[8]

In particular, media bias is frequently cited, with mainstream media outlets such as Mediacorp and SPH Media Trust, which are owned or closely aligned with government-linked entities, providing disproportionately favorable coverage to the PAP. Opposition parties often face challenges in gaining equal airtime, and are subject to strict defamation and campaign finance laws, which critics argue are selectively enforced. These constraints, coupled with the PAP's longstanding dominance and its access to extensive state resources, create an uneven playing field. As a result, while elections are procedurally sound in terms of voting integrity, the broader political context limits genuine competition and hinders the development of a pluralistic democracy.[9]

Latest general election

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Main article: 2025 Singaporean general election

A general election was last called on 15 April 2025, and was held in 3 May that year.[10] The PAP won 87 out of the 97 seats with 65.57% of the popular vote, while the WP won the remaining 10 seats.

PartyVotes%+/–Seats
FieldedElectedNCMP+/−
People's Action Party1,570,80365.57+4.3597870Increase4
Workers' Party359,16114.99+3.7726102Increase2
Progress Singapore Party117,0054.88−5.301300Decrease2
Red Dot United94,9553.96+2.7115000
Singapore Democratic Party89,0533.72−0.7311000
People's Alliance for Reform60,2072.51New1300New
Singapore Democratic Alliance29,2131.22−0.274000
Singapore People's Party28,2051.18−0.345000
Singapore United Party15,8740.66New500New
People's Power Party15,5250.65−0.3510000
Independents12,5370.52+0.492000
National Solidarity Party3,1270.13−3.6210000
Total2,395,665100.00–2119720
Valid votes2,395,66598.24
Invalid/blank votes42,9451.76
Total votes2,438,610100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,627,02692.83
Source: calculation based on https://www.eld.gov.sg/finalresults2025.html

Presidential elections

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Main article: Presidential elections in Singapore

Presidential elections have been held since 1993. Under the "Presidential Elections Act",[11] to run for president, one must obtain a "Certificate of Eligibility" from the Presidential Elections Committee. These conditions are:

  • Be a citizen of Singapore.[12]
  • Be at least 45 years of age.[13]
  • Be a registered voter.[14]
  • Be a resident in Singapore at the date of their nomination for election and a resident for periods amounting in the aggregate to not less than ten years prior to that date.[15]
  • Not be subject to any of the following disqualifications:[16]
(a) being and having been found or declared to be of unsound mind;
(b) being an undischarged bankrupt;
(c) holding an office of profit;
(d) having been nominated for election to Parliament or the office of President or having acted as election agent to a person so nominated, failing to lodge any return of election expenses required by law within the time and in the manner so required;
(e) having been convicted of an offence by a court of law in Singapore or Malaysia and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than S$2,000 and having not received a free pardon, provided that where the conviction is by a court of law in Malaysia, the person shall not be disqualified unless the offence is also one which, had it been committed in Singapore, would have been punishable by a court of law in Singapore;[17]
(f) having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of, or exercised rights of citizenship in, a foreign country, or having made a declaration of allegiance to a foreign country;[18]
(g) being disqualified under any law relating to offences in connection with elections to Parliament or the office of President by reason of having been convicted of such an offence or having in proceedings relating to such an election been proved guilty of an act constituting such an offence.

Because of the stringent requirements needed to run for presidential elections, only three out of the seven elections had contests (1993, 2011 and 2023), while the rest were walkovers. An amendment to the Constitution in 2016 saw the 2017 election become reserved for a certain community (Malay community in the case), resulting in that year's election to cause a walkover as well. To date, 10 candidates had awarded the Certificate of Eligibility (with two being eligible twice), of which five candidates were president-elect (only one candidate, S. R. Nathan, had served for two terms and had no prior affiliation with the incumbent ruling People's Action Party).

Latest presidential election

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Main article: 2023 Singaporean presidential election

A presidential election was last called on 11 August 2023, and was held in 1 September that year.[25] Sample counts were announced at about 22:42 and showed that Tharman Shanmugaratnam was leading with 70% of the votes, followed by Ng Kok Song with 16%, and Tan Kin Lian with 14%.[26][27] At about 23:15, Ng conceded during a press conference and congratulated Tharman, stating that there was a clear result and there was no need to wait for the final results.[28] At about 23:30, Tan congratulated Tharman, but refused to concede until the actual results were announced.[29] The local results were announced at about 00:23 the next day.[30]

The final turnout (excluding the overseas electorate) was 2,530,912 (93.41%), lower than 2011's and 2020's turnouts of 94.80% and 95.81%, respectively. The Elections Department published the overseas vote count on 12 September. Only 3,799 votes were accepted for counting, of which only 78 votes were rejected. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Ng Kok Song, and Tan Kin Lian garnered 2,834, 595, and 292 votes, respectively, which saw only a 0.01% change in Tharman's and Tan's respective voting percentages. ELD also said that 2,997 postal votes had been downloaded and 2,263 mails were received as of the cut-off date of 11 September, of which only 1,345 had been accepted.[31] The final turnout was 2,534,711, increasing its percentage by 0.14%, from 93.41% to 93.55%.[32][30]

The final results are as follows:

CandidateVotes%
Tharman Shanmugaratnam1,749,26170.41
Ng Kok Song390,63615.72
Tan Kin Lian344,58413.87
Total2,484,481100.00
Valid votes2,484,48198.02
Invalid/blank votes50,2301.98
Total votes2,534,711100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,709,45593.55
Source: [33][34][32]

Referendums

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A referendum may also be held for important national issues, although it has been held only once in Singapore's political history for the 1962 merger referendum. During the 2000s, there were calls by religious groups to have a referendum over the building of casinos in Singapore, but was rejected by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. Casinos were ultimately built at the Marina Bay Sands and the Resorts World Sentosa.[35][36]

Past elections

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Legislative Council elections

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Legislative Assembly elections

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As State of Malaysia

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Parliamentary elections

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Main article: Parliamentary elections in Singapore

Other elections

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See also

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References

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Notes
  1. ^ Deborah Lau (31 August 2023). "PE 2023: Explainer — what are sample counts, how are they generated and when are they expected to be released?". TODAY. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  2. ^ Natasha Ganesan (31 August 2023). "CNA Explains: Sample counts, invalid votes and recounts – what you need to know about PE2023 Polling Day". www.channelnewsasia.com. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  3. ^ "GE2025: What time will the election results be out?". The Straits Times. 3 May 2025. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  4. ^ "GE2025 live: Election victory parades kick off across Singapore | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  5. ^ Loo, Daryl (14 December 2007). "Climate of fear hurts Singapore: author". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  6. ^ Mutalib, Hussin (November 2002). "Constitutional‐Electoral Reforms and Politics in Singapore". Legislative Studies Quarterly. 27 (4): 659–672. doi:10.2307/3598663. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  7. ^ Tan, Netina (14 July 2013). "Manipulating electoral laws in Singapore, Electoral Studies". Electoral Studies (Special Symposium: The new research agenda on electoral integrity). doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2013.07.014. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Singapore: Freedom in the World 2024 Country Report". Freedom House. 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  9. ^ Cenite, Mark; Shing Yee, Chong; Teck Juan, Han; Li Qin, Lim; Xian Lin, Tan (September 2008). "Perpetual development journalism? Balance and framing in the 2006 Singapore election coverage". Asian Journal of Communication. 18 (3): 280–295. doi:10.1080/01292980802239416. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  10. ^ Linette Lai (15 April 2025). "GE2025: Singaporeans will go to the polls on May 3, Nomination Day on April 23". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  11. ^ "PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS ACT". Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  12. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(2)(a).
  13. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(2)(b).
  14. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(2)(c) read with Art. 44(2)(c).
  15. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(2)(c) read with Art. 44(2)(d).
  16. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(2)(d) read with Art. 45.
  17. ^ The disqualification of a person under clauses (d) and (e) may be removed by the President and shall, if not so removed, cease at the end of five years beginning from the date on which the return mentioned in clause (d) was required to be lodged or, as the case may be, the date on which the person convicted as mentioned in clause (e) was released from custody or the date on which the fine mentioned in clause (1) (e) was imposed on such person: Constitution, Art. 45(2).
  18. ^ A person shall not be disqualified under this clause by reason only of anything done by him before he became a citizen of Singapore: Constitution, Art. 45(2). In clause (f), "foreign country" does not include any part of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland: Art. 45(3).
  19. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(2)(e).
  20. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(2)(f).
  21. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(3)(a).
  22. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(3)(b) read with the Fifth Schedule.
  23. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(4), read with Art. 19(7).
  24. ^ Constitution, Art. 19(3)(c) and Art 19(4)(b).
  25. ^ Goh Yan Han (11 August 2023). "Singapore Presidential Election 2023: Polling Day on Sept 1, Nomination Day on Aug 22". The Straits Times. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  26. ^ "Singapore presidential poll: counting begins in vote seen as test of PAP support". South China Morning Post. 1 September 2023. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  27. ^ "PE2023 sample count: Tharman tentatively victorious with 70% of votes". mothership.sg. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  28. ^ "PE 2023: Ng Kok Song concedes defeat to Tharman after 'clear result' in sample count". TODAY. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  29. ^ "PE 2023: Tan Kin Lian doesn't concede defeat after sample count, but congratulates Tharman for 'success in contest'". TODAY. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Tharman wins 76% of overseas votes cast in Singapore's Presidential Election". CNA. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  31. ^ Iau, Jean (18 September 2023). "2 in 5 postal votes for presidential election that arrived on time disallowed for counting: ELD". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  32. ^ a b "PRESS RELEASE TOTAL VOTES CAST FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2023" (PDF). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  33. ^ Oh, Tessa (2 September 2023). "Tharman Shanmugaratnam elected as Singapore's 9th president in 70.4% landslide". Business Times. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  34. ^ Hamzah, Aqil (2 September 2023). "Presidential Election 2023: More than 2.7 million eligible to vote". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  35. ^ "SINGAPORE: Casino Plans Stir Debate in Otherwise Reticent Society". Inter Press Service. 28 January 2005. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  36. ^ "No referendum on Singapore casino - UPI.com". UPI. 2 March 2005. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
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