Singapore's next parliamentary general election will be held on 11 September 2015. The Parliament of Singapore's maximum term is five years, within which it must be dissolved by the President of Singapore and elections held within three months, as stated in the Constitution of Singapore.[1] Voting is mandatory in Singapore and is based on the first-past-the-post system. Elections are conducted by the Elections Department, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Background[]
The maximum term of a Singaporean parliament is five years, within which it must be dissolved by the President and elections held within three months, as stated in the Constitution. Voting is mandatory in Singapore and is based on the first-past-the-post system. Elections are conducted by the Elections Department, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The General Election was the 17th General Election in Singapore and is the 12th since independence in 1965. The election coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Singapore's founding (SG50). This election also follows the United Kingdom general elections, of which it takes place in the later half of the year, which is September. The UK elections is on the May.
The governing People's Action Party (PAP) have secured their 14th consecutive term in office since 1959. This will be the PAP's third election with Lee Hsien Loong as its Secretary-General, and the country's first election after the passing of its founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. It is also the country's first election where there are no walkovers in any of the constituencies, as voting will take place in Tanjong Pagar GRC for the first time.
Political parties[]
- Main article: List of political parties in Singapore
The governing People's Action Party (PAP) has been in power since Singapore's independence in 1965, and is currently led by the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The leading Opposition party is the Worker's Party, led by Low Thia Khiang. The party hold 7 elected seats and 2 NCMP seats from GE 2011. Singapore People's Party led by Chiam See Tong has 1 NCMP seat.
| Party | Leader | Year Formed | Seats before GE2015 | Represented Colours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:SG/PAP | Lee Hsien Loong | 1954 | 80 | White |
| Template:SG/WP | Low Thia Khiang | 1957 | 9 | Light Blue |
| Template:SG/SPP | Chiam See Tong | 1994 | 1 | Red & White |
| Template:SG/SDP | Chee Soon Juan | 1980 | 0 | Red |
| Template:SG/NSP | Hazel Poa | 1987 | 0 | Orange |
| Template:SG/RP | Kenneth Jeyaretnam | 2008 | 0 | Yellow |
| Template:SG/SDA | Desmond Lim Bak Chuan | 2001 | 0 | Green |
| Template:SG/DPP | Benjamin Pwee | 1973 | 0 | White & Orange |
| Template:SG/SFP | Tan Jee Say | 2014 | 0 | Blue |
| Template:SG/PPP | Goh Meng Seng | 2015 | 0 | Purple |
Electoral divisions[]
- Main article: List of Singaporean electoral divisions
The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee is convened before every GE to review electoral boundaries in view of population growth and shifts. The Committee is appointed by the Prime Minister. Its published list signifies the start of an election cycle.
The new electoral divisions were announced on 24 July 2015.[2]
| GE2011 | GE2015 | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats | 87 | 89 |
| Electoral Divisions | 27 | 29 |
| Group Representation Constituencies | 15 | 16 |
| Single Member Constituencies | 12 | 13 |
| Division | Remarks |
|---|---|
| Aljunied GRC | No change. |
| Ang Mo Kio GRC | Absorbed Punggol South division from Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and parts of Sengkang West SMC |
| Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC | Absorbed parts of Moulmein division from Moulmein-Kallang GRC |
| Chua Chu Kang GRC | Carved out Yew Tee division to Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC |
| East Coast GRC | Carved out Fengshan into a new SMC, which downsized from 5 MPs to 4 MPs. |
| Holland-Bukit Timah GRC | Absorbed parts of West Coast GRC and parts of Moulmein division. |
| Hougang SMC | No change. |
| Jalan Besar GRC | Absorbed majority parts from Moulmein-Kallang GRC and Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng division from Tanjong Pagar GRC, including Whampoa SMC. |
| Jurong GRC | Carved out Bukit Batok into a new SMC, absorbed parts of Clementi from West Coast GRC. |
| Marine Parade GRC | Carved out MacPherson division into a new SMC, absorbed the former and abolished Joo Chiat SMC |
| Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC | Absorbed Yew Tee, Woodgrove and Marsiling divisions from both Chua Chu Kang GRC and Sembawang GRC. |
| Moulmein-Kallang GRC | Jalan Besar, Kolam Ayer, Kampong Glam division of the Moulmein-Kallang GRC and Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng division of the Tanjong Pagar GRC go into the newly formed Jalan Besar GRC. The Moulmein ward was divided into Tanjong Pagar GRC, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and Jalan Besar GRC. |
| Nee Soon GRC | Carved out eastern part of Yishun, absorbed in most of Kebun Baru division from Ang Mo Kio GRC. |
| Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC | Carved out Punggol South division to Ang Mo Kio GRC. |
| Potong Pasir SMC | No change. |
| Punggol East SMC | No change. |
| Sembawang GRC | Carved out Woodgrove and Marsiling, absorbed Canberra and parts of Chong Pang, Nee Soon East and Nee Soon South divisions from Nee Soon GRC. |
| Tampines GRC | No change. |
| Tanjong Pagar GRC | Carved out Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng division, absorbed parts of Moulmein division from Moulmein-Kallang GRC. |
| West Coast GRC | Carved out Clementi division and Faber private estate to Jurong GRC, which downsized from 5 MPs to 4 MPs. |
There were no changes made to the three electoral divisions held by the Workers' Party, namely, Aljunied GRC, Hougang SMC and Punggol East SMC. Potong Pasir SMC, which was until 2011, held by the Opposition, was also left untouched.
Timeline[]
Pre-nomination day events[]
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 13 Jul | Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announces in Parliament that he had convened the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee two months prior. He had instructed the Committee to create smaller Group Representation Constituencies, and to have at least 12 Single Member Constituencies. |
| 24 Jul | The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee publishes the report of its new electoral boundaries. |
| Inderjit Singh is the first PAP candidate to announce its retirement. His Facebook announcement prompts PAP Organising Secretary Ng Eng Hen to comment that he would prefer MPs to announce their retirement in a more dignified manner. | |
| 5 Aug | Tin Pei Ling gave birth to the first child called Ng Kee Hau. |
| 7 Aug | Mah Bow Tan, Irene Ng and Hawazi Daipi announces its retirement. |
| 8 Aug | Arthur Fong announces its stepping down. Halimah Yacob will be moved over to Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, to be replaced by Rahayu Mazam. |
| 11 Aug | Lui Tuck Yew announces its retirement. |
| 12 Aug | Organising secretary Ng Eng Hen announces that the ruling party will formally announce its candidates before National Day Rally on 23 August. The first constituency will be Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. For example, Wong Kan Seng, Hri Kumar Nair and Zainudin Nordin announces its retirement. Departing from its traditional practice of introducing candidates at the party headquarters, the PAP chose a coffeeshop to hold the media conference. |
| 14 Aug |
|
| 15 Aug |
|
| 16 Aug |
|
| 19 Aug | Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC had announced its PAP candidates. |
| 20 Aug |
|
| 21 Aug | Mountbatten SMC, Hong Kah North SMC, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC and MacPherson SMC had introduced its PAP candidates. |
| 22 Aug |
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| 25 Aug | 3PM: The president, on the advice of Prime Minister, dissolved the election. Tony Tan issues a writ of election later on at 4pm. Nomination day is on 1 September, polling day is on 11 September. |
| 26 Aug | Marine Parade GRC and Nee Soon GRC had introduced its PAP candidates. |
| 27 Aug | Fengshan SMC, East Coast GRC and Punggol East SMC had introduced its PAP candidates. 84 candidates have been unveiled by the ruling party at this point, with the exception of opposition held Aljunied GRC. |
| 28 Aug |
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| 29 Aug |
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| 30 Aug | Singapore People’s Party announces that its Secretary General Chiam See Tong – who first entered politics in 1976 – will not be contesting the coming elections. |
| 31 Aug | National Solidarity Party appoints Lim Tean as new Acting Secretary General. |
Outgoing incumbents and incoming candidates[]
The below is a summary for the three political parties with parliamentary presence from GE2011.
| Outgoing | Incoming |
|---|---|
| People's Action Party | |
|
Deceased |
First time candidates 1. Amrin Amin (Sembawang) 2. Chee Hong Tat (Bishan-Toa Payoh) 3. Cheng Li Hui (Tampines) 4. Cheryl Chan (Bukit Panjang) 5. Chong Kee Hiong (Bishan-Toa Payoh) 6. Chua Eng Leong (Aljunied) 7. Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio) 8. Hazelle Teo Ying Shuang (Fengshan) 9. Henry Kwek (Nee Soon) 10. Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar) 11. John Lim Kwan Shen (Jalan Besar) 12. K Muralidharan Pillai (Aljunied) 13. Lee Hong Chuang (Hougang) 14. Louis Ng (Nee Soon) 15. Melvin Yong (Tanjong Pagar) 16. Ng Chee Meng (Pasir-Ris Punggol) 17. Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong) 18. Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh) 19. Shamsul Kamar (Aljunied) 20. Sun Xueling (Pasir-Ris Punggol) 21. Tan Wu Meng (Jurong) 22. Victor Lye (Aljunied) 23. Wong Kah Wei (West Coast) 24. Yee Chia Hsing (Chua Chu Kang) Contested previously 25. Desmond Choo (Tampines) 26. Koh Poh Koon (Ang Mo Kio) 27. Ong Ye Kung (Sembawang) |
| Workers' Party | |
| Nil. | First time candidates 1. Adrian Sim (Jalan Besar) 2. Bernard Chen (MacPherson) 3. Cheryl Denise Loh (Nee Soon) 4. Daniel Goh (East Coast) 5. Dennis Tan (Fengshan) 6. Dylan Ng (Marine Parade) 7. Firuz Khan (Marine Parade) 8. Gurmit Singh S/O Sadhu Singh (Nee Soon) 9. He Ting Ru (Marine Parade) 10. Kenneth Foo Seck Guan (Nee Soon) 11. Leon Perera (East Coast) 12. Luke Koh (Nee Soon) 13. Mohamed Fairoz Shariff (East Coast) 14. Redzwan Hafidz Abdul Razak (Jalan Besar) 15. Ron Tan (Nee Soon) 16. Terence Tan (Marine Parade) Contested previously 17. Koh Choong Yong (Sengkang West) 18. L Somasundaram (Jalan Besar) 19. Frieda Chan (Jalan Besar) 20. Yee Jenn Jong (Marine Parade) 21. Gerald Giam (East Coast) |
| Singapore People's Party | |
| Nil. | First time candidates 1. Abdillah Zamzuri (Bishan-Toa Payoh) 2. Bryan Long (Bishan-Toa Payoh) 3. Law Kim Hwee (Bishan-Toa Payoh) 4. Ravi Philemon (Hong Kah North) Contested previously 5. Benjamin Pwee (Bishan-Toa Payoh) 6. Hamim Aliyas (Bishan-Toa Payoh) 7. Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss (Mountbatten) |
Election results[]
Signs pointing to polling stations in Clementi, in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
After polls closed at 8pm, vote counting began. Results were announced by Ng Wai Choong, chief executive director of the Energy Market Authority, who acted as the Returning Officer for the election.[3] The first result was declared at 11.31pm on 11 September 2015 where PAP candidate Lam Pin Min won the Sengkang West Single Member Constituency with a majority of 17,564. The last result was declared at 3.10am on 12 September 2015 where Workers' Party team contesting Aljunied Group Representation Constituency, led by party's secretary-general Low Thia Khiang, won the constituency by a narrow margin of 1.9%, or a majority of 2,612.
Contrary to expectations of a tougher contest with all constituencies being contested by the opposition parties, the People's Action Party won its best ever results since the 2001 general election, achieving a swing of 9.7% to achieve 69.9% of the vote as compared to the previous election in 2011 when it received 60.1%. The PAP unexpectedly reclaimed the constituency of Punggol East lost to the Workers' Party in a 2013 by-election, and achieved a swing in Aljunied GRC large enough to force a vote recount although the WP retained the constituency.
See also[]
- Elections in Singapore
- Constituencies of Singapore
- List of Singaporean electoral divisions
- List of political parties in Singapore
Notes[]
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- ↑ http://www.eld.gov.sg/pdf/White%20Paper%20on%20the%20Report%20of%20the%20Electoral%20Boundaries%20Review%20Committee%202015.pdf#zoom=100
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
References[]
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