1976 Singaporean general election

* * *

| ← 1972 | 23 December 1976 | 1980 →

|
|

← outgoing members

elected members →

* * *

All 69 seats in Parliament
35 seats needed for a majority
Registered| 1,095,817[a]
Turnout| 95.08% ( 1.53pp)
|   | First party  |

|
|

|  |
Leader  | Lee Kuan Yew |
Party  | PAP |
Last election  | 70.43%, 65 seats  |
Seats won  | 69 |
Seat change  | 4  |
Popular vote  | 590,169 |
Percentage  | 74.09% |
Swing  |  3.66pp  |

* * *

Results by constituency

* * *

| Prime Minister before election

Lee Kuan Yew
PAP

| Prime Minister after election

Lee Kuan Yew
PAP

|

This article is part of a series on

Politics of Singapore

Constitution

* Law
* Human rights

Legislature

* Parliament

* Speaker Seah Kian Peng (PAP)

* Leader of the House Indranee Rajah (PAP)

* Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh (WP)

* 14th Parliament

* * *

* Constituencies

Executive

* President of Singapore (list)

* Tharman Shanmugaratnam (I)

* Prime Minister of Singapore

* Lawrence Wong (PAP)

* * *

* Cabinet
* Ministries
* The Reserves

Judiciary

* Supreme Court of Singapore

* Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon

* * *

* Court of Appeal

* Prakash
* Tay
* Chong
* Ang

* * *

* High Court
* State Courts

Elections

* Presidential elections
* General elections

Singapore portal

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

The 1976 Singaporean general election was held on 23 December 1976 to elect all 69 members to the Parliament of Singapore. This marked the fifth general election since the introduction of self-government in 1959 and the third since Singapore's independence in 1965. The number of parliamentary seats increased from 65 to 69 due to changes in electoral boundaries and the increase in population. Out of the 69 constituencies, 53 were contested, while 16 were won uncontested by the People's Action Party (PAP). A total of 124 candidates participated in the election, including 122 from political parties and 2 independents.

The ruling PAP, led by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, won all 69 seats in another landslide victory, marking its third consecutive clean sweep since 1966. The total electorate surpassed one million for the first time in Singapore's history, but only 857,297 were eligible to vote due to uncontested constituencies. The PAP secured 590,169 of the 796,572 valid votes cast, accounting for 74.09% of the popular vote. Voting, which is compulsory, reached a turnout of 95.08% among the eligible voters in the contested constituencies.

Opposition parties, including the Workers' Party (WP), the Barisan Sosialis (BS), the United Front (UF) and others, contested the election but failed to win any seats. The WP fielded 22 candidates, while the UF fielded 14. Notably, the election saw the political debut of Goh Chok Tong of the PAP and independent candidate Chiam See Tong, both of whom would later become prominent figures in Singaporean politics. The results maintained the PAP's complete control of Parliament and extended its one-party rule since 1968.[1][2]

## Electoral system

[edit]

The 69 members of Parliament were elected from 69 single-member constituencies, an increase from 65 used for the previous elections in 1972. The deposit was increased for the first time to S$1,200, up from S$500.[2]

## Timeline

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

6 December | Dissolution of 3rd Parliament
13 December | Nomination Day
23 December | Polling Day
7 February 1977 | Opening of 4th Parliament

## Constituencies

[edit]

Main article: List of Singaporean electoral divisions (1976–80)

Similar to previous elections, constituencies were either dissolved or created due to population. Six constituencies were abolished and ten new ones created, which were reflected on the table:

Constituency | Changes

|

New Constituencies
Ang Mo Kio | Carved from parts of Nee Soon, Serangoon Gardens and Thomson
Bedok | Carved from Siglap
Boon Lay | Carved from Jurong
Buona Vista | Carved from Ulu Pandan
Braddell Heights | Carved from Paya Lebar, Serangoon Gardens, Thomson and Upper Serangoon
Brickworks | Carved from Leng Kee and Pasir Panjang
Khe Bong | Carved from Kuo Chuan and Toa Payoh
Kolam Ayer | Carved from Geylang West, Kallang and Potong Pasir
Marine Parade | Carved from Joo Chiat
Radin Mas | Carved from Henderson and Telok Blangah
Defunct Constituencies
Bras Basah | Absorbed to Kampong Glam and Telok Ayer
Crawford | Absorbed to Jalan Besar and Kampong Glam
Hong Lim | Absorbed to Telok Ayer
Kampong Kapor | Absorbed to Jalan Besar
Sepoy Lines | Absorbed to Anson, Tanjong Pagar and Tiong Bahru
Stamford | Absorbed to River Valley and Telok Ayer

## Campaign

[edit]

A total of 124 candidates contested the election. The ruling PAP was the only party to contest every one of 69 constituencies, while the five other opposition parties (namely Barisan Sosialis, the Singapore Justice Party, PKMS, the United Front and the Workers' Party) formed a Joint Opposition Council to cooperate at the polls. The Workers' Party nominated 22 candidates and United Front 14; no other party put forward more than six candidates, while two candidates ran as independents.

The election marked their political debut of two prominent candidates, independent Chiam See Tong and PAP Goh Chok Tong, who would become the then-longest-serving opposition MP and the second Prime Minister, respectively.[3]

## Results

[edit]

For the third consecutive election, the PAP won every one of the 53 contested seats with a 74.09% popular vote, along with Lee Kuan Yew's seat of Tanjong Pagar polled 89.03% of the valid votes cast. The Workers' Party secretary-general J. B. Jeyaretnam had the best performance among opposition parties, winning with 40.08% of the votes in Kampong Chai Chee. Three candidates garnered under one-eighth of the votes and had forfeited their $500 election deposits. The voter turnout was 95.08%.

Popular vote

1. PAP (74.09%)
2. Workers' (11.55%)
3. United Front (6.7%)
4. Barisan (3.19%)
5. Others (4.47%)

Seats won

1. 16 seats (PAP; uncontested) (23.19%)
2. 53 seats (PAP; contested) (76.81%)

Party| Votes| %| +/–| Seats| +/–
| People's Action Party| 590,169| 74.09| +3.66| 69| +4
| Workers' Party| 91,966| 11.55| –0.65| 0| 0
| United Front| 53,373| 6.70| New| 0| New
| Barisan Sosialis| 25,411| 3.19| –1.44| 0| 0
| United People's Front| 14,233| 1.79| New| 0| New
| Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura| 9,230| 1.16| –0.19| 0| 0
| Singapore Justice Party| 5,199| 0.65| New| 0| New
| People's Front| 2,818| 0.35| –2.66| 0| 0
| Independents| 4,173| 0.52| –0.48| 0| 0
Total| 796,572| 100.00| –| 69| +4
Valid votes| 796,572| 97.72|
Invalid/blank votes| 18,558| 2.28|
Total votes| 815,130| 100.00|
Registered voters/turnout| 1,095,817| 95.08|
Source: Nohlen et al., Singapore Elections[a]

| Opposition parties contested vote

Party |  |  | Votes
PKMS |

| 28.33%
Workers' |

| 27.91%
Barisan |

| 27.05%
People's Front |

| 26.22%
United Front |

| 25.26%
Justice |

| 17.83%
Independents |

| 17.77%
UPF |

| 15.66%

### By constituency

[edit]

Constituency | Electorate  | Party | Candidate | Votes | %

|
|
|
|
|

Alexandra | 17,367  |  | People's Action Party | Tan Soo Khoon | 12,413  | 75.90
| Workers' Party | Edward Chua Boon Eng  | 3,941  | 24.10
Aljunied | 17,461  |  | People's Action Party | Chin Harn Tong | 12,230  | 74.88
| Workers' Party | Lim Kang Chew  | 4,103  | 25.12
Ang Mo Kio | 14,264  |  | People's Action Party | Yeo Toon Chia | Uncontested
Anson | 12,755  |  | People's Action Party | Perumal Govindaswamy | Uncontested
Bedok | 11,310  |  | People's Action Party | Sha'ari bin Tadin | 7,928  | 73.78
| People's Front | Sim Peng Kim  | 2,818  | 26.22
Boon Lay | 15,496  |  | People's Action Party | Ngeow Pack Hua | 11,749  | 79.82
| Singapore Justice Party | Varghese Joseph  | 2,970  | 20.18
Boon Teck | 18,872  |  | People's Action Party | Phey Yew Kok | 12,698  | 71.92
| Barisan Sosialis | Ng Seng Chua  | 4,958  | 28.08
Braddell Heights | 14,031  |  | People's Action Party | Lee Khoon Choy | Uncontested
Brickworks | 14,062  |  | People's Action Party | Ahmad Mattar | 9,871  | 73.99
| United Front | Shums Tung Tao-Chang  | 3,470  | 26.01
Bukit Batok | 15,650  |  | People's Action Party | Chai Chong Yii | 12,216  | 84.57
| Singapore Justice Party | Sulaiman bin Jaffar  | 2,229  | 15.43
Bukit Ho Swee | 13,686  |  | People's Action Party | Seah Mui Kok | 9,451  | 73.50
| United Front | Hwang Ban Cheong  | 3,407  | 26.50
Bukit Merah | 17,538  |  | People's Action Party | Lim Guan Hoo | 12,775  | 76.37
| United Front | Wong Kui Yu  | 3,952  | 23.63
Bukit Panjang | 18,906  |  | People's Action Party | Lee Yiok Seng | 11,867  | 67.43
| Workers' Party | Ho Juan Thai  | 5,731  | 32.57
Bukit Timah | 13,132  |  | People's Action Party | Chor Yeok Eng | Uncontested
Buona Vista | 16,267  |  | People's Action Party | Ang Kok Peng | 12,704  | 82.75
| United People's Front  | Hashim bin Mukayat  | 2,649  | 17.25
Cairnhill | 13,419  |  | People's Action Party | Lim Kim San | 7,979  | 68.17
| Independent  | Chiam See Tong | 3,726  | 31.83
Changi | 17,827  |  | People's Action Party | Teo Chong Tee | 12,038  | 72.63
| Workers' Party | Zainal Abiden bin Mohamed Ali  | 4,537  | 27.37
Chua Chu Kang | 18,136  |  | People's Action Party | Tang See Chim | 11,740  | 68.75
| Workers' Party | Chan Keng Sieng  | 5,336  | 31.25
Delta | 14,821  |  | People's Action Party | Yeo Choo Kok | 10,636  | 76.40
| United Front | Ng Ho  | 3,286  | 23.60
Farrer Park | 11,949  |  | People's Action Party | Lee Chiaw Meng | Uncontested
Geylang East | 14,738  |  | People's Action Party | Ho Cheng Choon | 9,405  | 68.49
| Workers' Party | Kum Teng Hock  | 4,326  | 31.51
Geylang Serai | 14,178  |  | People's Action Party | Rahmat bin Kenap | 8,780  | 66.34
| Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Amnah binte Kuong Hussein  | 3,129  | 23.64
| United People's Front  | Darus bin Shariff  | 1,326  | 10.02
Geylang West | 18,101  |  | People's Action Party | Yong Nyuk Lin | 11,912  | 71.18
| United Front | Lim Tiong Hock  | 4,822  | 28.82
Havelock | 12,492  |  | People's Action Party | Hon Sui Sen | 9,250  | 79.29
| Workers' Party | Ngoei Soon On  | 2,416  | 20.71
Henderson | 18,182  |  | People's Action Party | Lai Tha Chai | 12,857  | 74.77
| Workers' Party | Hoe Boon Teck  | 4,338  | 25.23
Jalan Besar | 14,933  |  | People's Action Party | Chan Chee Seng | Uncontested
Jalan Kayu | 15,447  |  | People's Action Party | Hwang Soo Jin | 8,883  | 61.57
| Workers' Party | Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair  | 5,544  | 38.43
Joo Chiat | 14,241  |  | People's Action Party | Yeoh Ghim Seng | 9,601  | 74.73
| Workers' Party | Maideen bin Ameer Batcha  | 3,247  | 25.27
Jurong | 18,310  |  | People's Action Party | Ho Kah Leong | Uncontested
Kallang | 17,282  |  | People's Action Party | S. Dhanabalan | 11,823  | 73.90
| United Front | Chan Yoke Kwong  | 4,175  | 26.10
Kampong Chai Chee | 19,126  |  | People's Action Party | Fong Sip Chee | 10,729  | 59.92
| Workers' Party | J. B. Jeyaratnam | 7,177  | 40.08
Kampong Glam | 18,439  |  | People's Action Party | S. Rajaratnam | 13,114  | 80.18
| United People's Front  | Ang Bee Lian  | 3,241  | 19.82
Kampong Kembangan | 13,720  |  | People's Action Party | Mohd Mansor bin Sukaimi | 8,028  | 64.02
| Workers' Party | Rajaratnam Murugason  | 4,511  | 35.98
Kampong Ubi | 20,811  |  | People's Action Party | Ya'acob bin Mohamed | 13,241  | 68.46
| Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Sahid bin Sahooman  | 6,101  | 31.54
Katong | 15,861  |  | People's Action Party | Joseph Francis De Conceicao | 10,721  | 76.18
| United Front | William James Cook  | 3,353  | 23.82
Khe Bong | 15,677  |  | People's Action Party | Ho See Beng | 10,950  | 74.33
| Barisan Sosialis | Sim Say Chuan  | 3,782  | 25.67
Kim Keat | 19,700  |  | People's Action Party | Ong Teng Cheong | 14,262  | 76.62
| Barisan Sosialis | Chin Tian Choo  | 4,353  | 23.38
Kim Seng | 14,860  |  | People's Action Party | Ong Leong Boon | 10,975  | 77.65
| Workers' Party | Chiang Seok Keong  | 3,159  | 22.35
Kolam Ayer | 19,371  |  | People's Action Party | Sidek Saniff | 13,175  | 72.46
| United Front | Rajah Chetty  | 5,007  | 27.54
Kreta Ayer | 12,199  |  | People's Action Party | Goh Keng Swee | Uncontested
Kuo Chuan | 16,990  |  | People's Action Party | Pathmanaban Selvadurai | 11,931  | 74.42
| Barisan Sosialis | Ng Ah Chue  | 4,100  | 25.58
Leng Kee | 18,475  |  | People's Action Party | Ow Chin Hock | 13,356  | 76.76
| United Front | Ng Lep Chong  | 4,043  | 23.24
MacPherson | 18,716  |  | People's Action Party | Chua Sian Chin | Uncontested
Marine Parade | 19,528  |  | People's Action Party | Goh Chok Tong | 14,418  | 78.62
| United Front | Mohamed Mansor bin Abdul Rahman  | 3,922  | 21.38
Moulmein | 12,654  |  | People's Action Party | Lawrence Sia | 8,571  | 72.73
| Workers' Party | Balakrishnan Ananthan  | 2,766  | 23.47
| Independent  | Lee Nai Choo  | 447  | 3.80
Mountbatten | 15,440  |  | People's Action Party | Ng Yeow Chong | 9,412  | 65.86
| United Front | Seow Khee Leng  | 4,878  | 34.14
Nee Soon | 16,143  |  | People's Action Party | Ong Soo Chuan | Uncontested
Pasir Panjang | 12,142  |  | People's Action Party | Othman Wok | 8,138  | 71.93
| Workers' Party | Zainal Abiddin bin Mohd Shah  | 3,176  | 28.07
Paya Lebar | 15,648  |  | People's Action Party | Tan Cheng San | 9,764  | 67.52
| Workers' Party | Wong Hong Toy  | 4,697  | 32.48
Potong Pasir | 14,167  |  | People's Action Party | Ivan Cuthbert Baptist | 9,667  | 74.83
| Workers' Party | Quek Doh Lam  | 3,252  | 25.17
Punggol | 20,444  |  | People's Action Party | Ng Kah Ting | 13,360  | 69.41
| Workers' Party | Tan Yong Sin  | 5,887  | 30.59
Queenstown | 16,926  |  | People's Action Party | Jek Yeun Thong | Uncontested
Radin Mas | 18,418  |  | People's Action Party | N. Naidu Govindasamy | 13,246  | 75.65
| Workers' Party | Othman Abdullah  | 4,263  | 24.35
River Valley | 17,022  |  | People's Action Party | Tan Eng Liang | 12,256  | 81.82
| Workers' Party | Wu Kher  | 2,724  | 18.18
Rochore | 15,424  |  | People's Action Party | Toh Chin Chye | 9,053  | 65.50
| Barisan Sosialis | Lee Siew Choh | 4,768  | 34.50
Sembawang | 17,695  |  | People's Action Party | Teong Eng Siong | 13,661  | 83.57
| United People's Front  | John Santhirasekaran P. M. Thevar  | 2,685  | 16.43
Serangoon Gardens | 12,115  |  | People's Action Party | Lau Teik Soon | 7,471  | 68.74
| Workers' Party | Charles Harry Crabb  | 3,397  | 31.26
Siglap | 13,849  |  | People's Action Party | Abdul Rahim Ishak | 9,733  | 78.20
| United Front | Weerappulli K. W. B.  | 2,714  | 21.80
Tampines | 15,559  |  | People's Action Party | Phua Bah Lee | Uncontested
Tanglin | 13,332  |  | People's Action Party | E. W. Barker | Uncontested
Tanjong Pagar | 12,147  |  | People's Action Party | Lee Kuan Yew | 9,996  | 89.03
| United People's Front  | Harbans Singh  | 1,232  | 10.97
Telok Ayer | 15,515  |  | People's Action Party | Ong Pang Boon | Uncontested
Telok Blangah | 14,225  |  | People's Action Party | Shaik Ahmad bin Abdul Haleem | Uncontested
Thomson | 15,609  |  | People's Action Party | Ang Nam Piau | 10,636  | 74.12
| United Front | Chung Kit Wong  | 3,714  | 25.88
Tiong Bahru | 19,589  |  | People's Action Party | Ch'ng Jit Koon | 15,248  | 83.10
| United People's Front  | Teo Kim Hoe  | 3,100  | 16.90
Toa Payoh | 13,933  |  | People's Action Party | Eric Cheong Yuen Chee | 9,633  | 73.63
| Barisan Sosialis | Abdul Rahim bin Abdul Rahman  | 3,450  | 26.37
Ulu Pandan | 16,343  |  | People's Action Party | Chiang Hai Ding | Uncontested
Upper Serangoon | 13,705  |  | People's Action Party | Sia Kah Hui | 9,982  | 79.15
| United Front | Ng Kwee Lim  | 2,630  | 20.85
Whampoa | 19,259  |  | People's Action Party | Augustine Tan Hui Heng | 14,636  | 80.98
| Workers' Party | Mohamed Shariff bin Yahya  | 3,438  | 19.02
Source: ELD[a]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b c 238,520 of the 1,095,817 voters were registered in uncontested constituencies, leaving 857,297 voters able to vote.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p254 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
2. ^ a b Parliamentary general election 1976 Singapore Elections
3. ^ Parliamentary general election 1976: Seats Singapore Elections

* v
* t
* e

Elections and referendums in Singapore

General elections|

* 1948
* 1951
* 1955
* 1959
* 1963
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1991
* 1997
* 2001
* 2006
* 2011
* 2015
* 2020
* 2025
* 2030

By-elections|

* 1948
* 1952
* 1957
* 1961
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1970
* 1977
* 1979
* 1981
* 1992
* 2012
* 2013
* 2016

Presidential elections|

* 1993
* 1999‡
* 2005‡
* 2011
* 2017‡
* 2023
* 2029

Local elections|

* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1949 (Apr)
* 1949 (Dec)
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1957
* 1958

Referendums|

* 1962

‡ uncontested
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template