1991 Singaporean general election

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| ← 1988 | 31 August 1991 | 1997 →

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|

← outgoing members

elected members →

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All 81 directly elected seats in Parliament (and up to 3 NCMPs)
Registered| 1,692,384[a]
Turnout| 95.03% ( 0.33pp)
|   | First party  | Second party  | Third party

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|  |  |
Leader  | Goh Chok Tong | Chiam See Tong | J. B. Jeyaretnam
Party  | PAP | SDP | WP
Leader's seat  | Marine Parade GRC | Potong Pasir SMC | Did Not Contest
Last election  | 63.17%, 80 seats  | 11.80%, 1 seat  | 16.72%, 1 seat
Seats won  | 77 | 3  | 1
Seat change  |  3  |  2  |
Popular vote  | 477,760 | 93,856  | 112,010
Percentage  | 60.97% | 11.98%  | 14.29%
Swing  |  2.20pp  |  0.18pp  |  2.43pp

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Results by constituency

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| Prime Minister before election

Goh Chok Tong
PAP

| Prime Minister after election

Goh Chok Tong
PAP

|

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The 1991 Singaporean general election was held on 31 August 1991 to elect all 81 members[b] of the Parliament of Singapore across 36 constituencies.[c] Parliament was dissolved by President Wee Kim Wee on 14 August 1991, upon the advice of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. This election was the first to be called under Goh's premiership after succeeding Lee Kuan Yew in 1990. Voting took place in only 25 constituencies, accounting for 40 seats, as the remaining 11 constituencies, comprising 41 seats, were uncontested, with People's Action Party (PAP) candidates returning unopposed.[1]

The election resulted in a decisive landslide victory for the PAP, which secured 77 out of 81 seats, and another supermajority. However, the opposition made historic gains. The Workers' Party (WP), led by J.B. Jeyaretnam, won Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC), while the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), under the leadership of Chiam See Tong, retained Potong Pasir SMC and captured Nee Soon Central and Bukit Gombak SMCs. This marked the first time since independence that opposition parties held more than one seat in Parliament, representing the strongest parliamentary presence by the opposition to date at the time.[2] The PAP's popular vote share of 60.97% was also the lowest it had received since independence.

As of 2025, the 1991 election remains the only occasion when no Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) seats were offered and the sole instance where women representation in Parliament declined. It is also the most recent election in which the WP did not receive the highest contested vote share among opposition parties (41.09%); instead, this distinction went to the SDP (48.56%).

## Background

[edit]

This was the inaugural election for Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who succeeded Lee Kuan Yew on 28 November 1990. Goh decided to call a snap election merely three years after the last election to court a fresh mandate, setting Parliament's shortest term ever.[1]

Certain opposition parties led by Chiam See Tong took a collaborative approach on what it was called a "by-election effect", reassuring voters to safely vote in ease for the opposition as such and in which their decision is not to contest every seats. Ultimately, nearly half of the 81 seats, with only 25 contested constituencies, or 40 seats, were contested, resulting in PAP returning to power on nomination day for the second time since 1968.[1]

## Timeline

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

8 August | Publication of Electoral Boundaries report
14 August | Dissolution of 7th Parliament
21 August | Nomination Day
31 August | Polling day
6 January 1992 | Opening of 8th Parliament

## Electoral boundaries

[edit]

Main article: List of Singaporean electoral divisions (1991–97)

### Existing GRCs

[edit]

Several Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) were expanded from three-member to four-member teams. This adjustment was partly driven by the rapid development of new towns, necessitating changes in electoral boundaries. New divisions were established in areas such as Simei, Jurong West, Bishan and Pasir Ris to reflect their growth. While some existing Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) remained unchanged, others were absorbed into GRCs. Additionally, existing GRCs were restructured to include new electoral divisions.[3]

Constituency  | Changes/New Group Representation Constituencies

|

Aljunied GRC | Absorbed Paya Lebar SMC
Ang Mo Kio GRC | New Constituency
Formed from Ang Mo Kio, Kebun Baru, Teck Ghee and Yio Chu Kang SMCs
Bedok GRC | Absorbed Fengshan and Siglap SMCs
Tanah Merah division was absorbed into Bedok division
Brickworks GRC | Absorbed Clementi and West Coast divisions from Pasir Panjang GRC
Alexandra division was absorbed into Brickworks and Queenstown divisions, while Pasir Panjang division was absorbed into Brickworks division
Cheng San GRC | Absorbed Punggol SMC
Eunos GRC | Pasir Ris division created
Hong Kah GRC | Hong Kah West division was split from Hong Kah South division
Jalan Besar GRC | Absorbed Kallang and a portion of Whampoa SMC
Kampong Glam GRC | New Constituency
Formed from Cairnhill, Kampong Glam, Kim Seng, Moulmein, and a portion of Whampoa SMC
Marine Parade GRC | Absorbed MacPherson SMC
Sembawang GRC | Absorbed Bukit Panjang SMC
Tampines GRC | Split Changkat division to include Changkat South division
Tanjong Pagar GRC | New Constituency
Formed from Henderson, Tanjong Pagar and Telok Blangah SMCs, and a majority of Tiong Bahru GRC
Thomson GRC | New Constituency
Formed from Serangoon Gardens and Thomson SMCs with divisions splitting to form Bishan East and Bishan North, respectively
Toa Payoh GRC | Absorbed Kim Keat SMC

## New and retiring candidates

[edit]

The election introduced notable cabinet members such as Lim Hng Kiang, Matthias Yao and Koo Tsai Kee, as well as a perennial candidate Zeng Guo Yuan. With Ng Kah Ting's retirement, this leaves Lee Kuan Yew as the last active MP from the original Parliament who was still contesting (and eventually elected uncontested) in succeeding elections until 2015.

New PAP Candidates  | Notable Opposition Candidates  | Outgoing Candidates

|
|

* Andy Gan Lai Chiang, 43
* Harun bin Abdul Ghani, 52
* Ho Peng Kee, 37
* Ker Sin Tze, 46
* Koo Tsai Kee, 36
* Lim Hng Kiang, 37
* Michael Lim, 30
* Mohammad Maidin bin Packer, 34
* Sinakaruppan Ramasamy, 32
* Umar Abdul bin Hamid, 31
* Matthias Yao, 35

* Zeng Guo Yuan, 38

* Abdul Nasser Kamaruddin
* Abbas bin Abdul Ramin
* Augustine Tan
* Chua Sian Chin
* Dixie Tan
* Koh Lam Son
* Lawrence Sia
* Ng Kah Ting
* Philip Tan
* Wan Hussin bin Haji Zoohri

## Results

[edit]

A total of five candidates, including one from the PKMS party, forfeited their $6,000 deposit. The narrowest margin in the election occurred in Nee Soon Central, where SDP's Cheo Chai Chen narrowly defeated Ng Pock Too by just 0.66%. PAP's Peter Sung at Buona Vista achieved the best overall result with 79.42% of the vote. Meanwhile, SDP candidate Chiam See Tong in Potong Pasir secured 69.64%, marking the highest vote share ever attained by an opposition candidate in post-independence Singapore. Correspondingly, PAP's Andy Gan received 30.36% in the same constituency, the lowest vote share recorded by any PAP candidate to date. This election was also the last to feature walkovers in a SMC. Voter turnout stood at 95.03%, a slight increase of 0.33% from the previous election, with 805,573 of 847,716 registered voters in contested constituencies casting their ballots out of a total electorate of 1,692,384.[1]

Popular vote

1. PAP (60.97%)
2. Workers' (14.29%)
3. SDP (11.98%)
4. NSP (7.31%)
5. Others (5.44%)

Seats won

1. 41 seats (PAP; uncontested) (50.62%)
2. 36 seats (PAP; contested) (44.44%)
3. 3 seats (SDP) (3.7%)
4. 1 seat (Workers') (1.23%)

Party| Votes| %| +/–| Seats| +/–
| People's Action Party| 477,760| 60.97| –2.20| 77| –3
| Workers' Party| 112,010| 14.29| +0.18| 1| +1
| Singapore Democratic Party| 93,856| 11.98| –2.43| 3| +2
| National Solidarity Party| 57,306| 7.31| +3.55| 0| 0
| Singapore Justice Party| 15,222| 1.94| +0.85| 0| 0
| Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura| 12,862| 1.64| +0.63| 0| 0
| Independents| 14,596| 1.86| +0.72| 0| 0
Total| 783,612| 100.00| –| 81| 0
Valid votes| 783,612| 97.27|
Invalid/blank votes| 21,961| 2.73|
Total votes| 805,573| 100.00|
Registered voters/turnout| 1,692,384| 95.03|
Source: Nohlen et al., Singapore Elections[a]

| Opposition parties contested vote

Party |  |  | Votes
SDP |

| 48.56%
Workers' |

| 41.09%
NSP |

| 37.92%
Justice |

| 22.75%
PKMS |

| 16.86%
Independents |

| 14.70%

### By constituency

[edit]

Constituency  | Seats  | Electorate  | Party  | Candidates  | Votes  | %

|
|
|
|
|
|

Aljunied GRC | 4  | 94,490  |  | People's Action Party | Chin Harn Tong
Ker Sin Tze
Mohamad Maidin bin Packer Mohd
George Yeo | Uncontested
Ang Mo Kio GRC | 4  | 74,004  |  | People's Action Party | Lau Ping Sum
Lee Hsien Loong
Umar Abdul Hamid
Yeo Toon Chia | Uncontested
Ayer Rajah SMC | 1  | 21,887  |  | People's Action Party | Tan Cheng Bock | 15,038  | 75.16
| Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Aziz Ibrahim  | 4,971  | 24.84
Bedok GRC | 4  | 86,246  |  | People's Action Party | Abdullah Tarmugi
Arthur Beng Kian Lam
S. Jayakumar
Tan Soo Khoon | 49,109  | 61.98
| Workers' Party | A Balakrishnan
Lim Chiu Liang J B
Sim Say Chuan
Tan Soo Phuan  | 30,121  | 38.02
Boon Lay SMC | 1  | 15,007  |  | People's Action Party | Goh Chee Wee | 10,106  | 73.27
| Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Sahid Bin Sahooman  | 3,686  | 26.73
Braddell Heights SMC | 1  | 27,444  |  | People's Action Party | Goh Choon Kang | 13,454  | 52.27
| Singapore Democratic Party | Sin Kek Tong | 12,285  | 47.73
Brickworks GRC | 4  | 101,440  |  | People's Action Party | Ahmad Mattar
Chay Wai Chuen
Bernard Chen Tien Lap
Wan Soon Bee | Uncontested
Bukit Batok SMC | 1  | 24,908  |  | People's Action Party | Ong Chit Chung | 12,205  | 51.82
| Singapore Democratic Party | Kwan Yue Keng  | 11,347  | 48.18
Bukit Gombak SMC | 1  | 24,961  |  | Singapore Democratic Party | Ling How Doong | 12,037  | 51.40
| People's Action Party | Seet Ai Mee | 11,383  | 48.60
Bukit Merah SMC | 1  | 11,998  |  | People's Action Party | Ch'ng Jit Koon | 6,878  | 61.94
| Workers' Party | Gopalan Nair  | 4,046  | 36.43
| Independent  | Patrick Leong Siew Choong  | 181  | 1.63
Bukit Timah SMC | 1  | 24,512  |  | People's Action Party | Wang Kai Yuen | 16,080  | 72.64
| Workers' Party | Zeng Guoyuan | 5,683  | 25.68
| Independent  | Md Sani Jan  | 371  | 1.68
Buona Vista SMC | 1  | 14,596  |  | People's Action Party | Peter Sung | 10,481  | 79.42
| Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Abdul Karim B Abdul Sattar  | 2,716  | 20.58
Changi SMC | 1  | 24,886  |  | People's Action Party | Teo Chong Tee | 12,292  | 53.00
| Workers' Party | Tan Bin Seng  | 10,901  | 47.00
Cheng San GRC | 4  | 92,979  |  | People's Action Party | Sitaram Chandra Das
Heng Chiang Meng
Lee Yock Suan
Michael Lim Chun Leng | 54,963  | 64.05
| National Solidarity Party | Chng Chin Siah
Chng Wee Hong
Gertrude Magdeline De Gracias
Pok Lee Chuan  | 30,849  | 35.95
Chua Chu Kang SMC | 1  | 22,797  |  | People's Action Party | Low Seow Chay | 14,489  | 68.44
| Independent  | Kwek Guan Kwee  | 5,071  | 23.95
| Independent  | Harry W Baptist  | 1,611  | 7.61
Eunos GRC | 4  | 92,728  |  | People's Action Party | Chew Heng Ching
Charles Chong
Sidek Saniff
Tay Eng Soon | 45,833  | 52.38
| Workers' Party | Lee Siew Choh
Jufrie Mahmood
Neo Choon Aik
Wee Han Kim  | 41,673  | 47.62
Hong Kah GRC | 4  | 64,712  |  | People's Action Party | Chen John
Kenneth Chen Koon Lap Kenneth
Harun bin Abdul Ghani
Yeo Cheow Tong | Uncontested
Hougang SMC | 1  | 21,476  |  | Workers' Party | Low Thia Khiang | 10,621  | 52.82
| People's Action Party | Tang Guan Seng | 9,487  | 47.18
Jalan Besar GRC | 4  | 82,615  |  | People's Action Party | Choo Wee Khiang
Lee Boon Yang
Peh Chin Hua
Zulkifli Mohammed | Uncontested
Jurong SMC | 1  | 31,246  |  | People's Action Party | Ho Kah Leong | 18,843  | 64.32
| Workers' Party | John Gan Eng Guan  | 8,965  | 30.60
| Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Mohamed Awang  | 1,489  | 5.08
Kampong Glam GRC | 4  | 73,317  |  | People's Action Party | Loh Meng See
R Sinnakaruppan
Wong Kwei Cheong
Yeo Ning Hong | Uncontested
Kreta Ayer SMC | 1  | 17,310  |  | People's Action Party | Richard Hu | Uncontested
Leng Kee SMC | 1  | 19,027  |  | People's Action Party | Ow Chin Hock | 13,331  | 76.57
| Independent  | G K Niddy  | 4,080  | 23.43
Marine Parade GRC | 4  | 74,032  |  | People's Action Party | Goh Chok Tong
Lim Chee Onn
Othman Haron Eusofe
Matthias Yao | 51,685  | 77.25
| Singapore Justice Party | Aminuddin Bin Ami
Rajasekaran K S M
Suib Bin Abdul Rahman
Theng Chin Eng  | 15,222  | 22.75
Mountbatten SMC | 1  | 15,497  |  | People's Action Party | Eugene Yap Giau Cheng | 11,029  | 77.95
| Independent  | Yen Kim Khooi  | 3,119  | 22.05
Nee Soon Central SMC | 1  | 26,806  |  | Singapore Democratic Party | Cheo Chai Chen | 12,709  | 50.33
| People's Action Party | Ng Pock Too | 12,541  | 49.67
Nee Soon South SMC | 1  | 27,722  |  | People's Action Party | Koh Lip Lin | 13,719  | 52.76
| Singapore Democratic Party | Low Yong Nguan  | 12,284  | 47.24
Potong Pasir SMC | 1  | 19,263  |  | Singapore Democratic Party | Chiam See Tong | 12,582  | 69.64
| People's Action Party | Andy Gan Lai Chiang | 5,486  | 30.36
Sembawang GRC | 4  | 117,951  |  | People's Action Party | Ho Peng Kee
K. Shanmugam
Lee Yiok Seng
Tony Tan | Uncontested
Tampines GRC | 4  | 69,801  |  | People's Action Party | Chng Hee Kok
Mah Bow Tan
Aline Wong
Yatiman Yusof | 38,844 | 59.48
| National Solidarity Party | Ong Seng Kwe
Rasiah Thiagarajah
Sarry B Hassan
Ken Sunn  | 26,457  | 40.52
Tanglin SMC | 1  | 16,801  |  | People's Action Party | Lew Syn Pau | 9,113  | 68.52
| Singapore Democratic Party | Jimmy Tan Tiang Hoe  | 4,022  | 30.25
| Independent  | Gnaguru Thamboo Mylvaganam  | 163  | 1.23
Tanjong Pagar GRC | 4  | 86,944  |  | People's Action Party | Koo Tsai Kee
Lee Kuan Yew
Lim Hng Kiang
S Vasoo | Uncontested
Thomson GRC | 4  | 68,294  |  | People's Action Party | Wong Kan Seng
Ibrahim Othman
Lau Teik Soon
Leong Horn Kee | Uncontested
Toa Payoh GRC | 4  | 63,591  |  | People's Action Party | Ong Teng Cheong
S. Dhanabalan
Davinder Singh
Ho Tat Kin | Uncontested
Ulu Pandan SMC | 1  | 22,299  |  | People's Action Party | Lim Boon Heng | 11,426 | 56.41
| Singapore Democratic Party | Ashleigh Seow  | 8,828  | 43.59
Yuhua SMC | 1  | 18,797  |  | People's Action Party | Yu-Foo Yee Shoon | 9,945 | 56.16
| Singapore Democratic Party | Toh Kim Kiat  | 7,762  | 43.84
Source: ELD

## Aftermath

[edit]

An unprecedented four seats were won by the opposition, the biggest number since the 1963 election, and the PAP share of votes fell for the third consecutive time since 1984, down to then lowest share of 60.97%. The SDP clocked in the best performance for an opposition party at 48.56% of the total votes in seats that they contested and became the main opposition party in Parliament, with eight out of nine candidates came in among the top ten opposition candidates, three of which were elected including the seat of Potong Pasir SMC by leader Chiam See Tong with a record 69.64% of the votes.[d]

The WP made its second in-road into the legislature with the victory of its organising secretary Low Thia Khiang, who previously contested Tiong Bahru GRC in the last election and Hougang SMC on this election, who would years later become WP secretary-general and leader from 2001 to 2018. All three incumbents who were defeated in the election were one-term MPs including Seet Ai Mee, Ng Pock Too and Tang Guan Seng; only Tang returned to the 1997 election as a member in Ang Mo Kio GRC. In a documentary by Low on his Hougang released in 2024, Low also considered Changi before choosing Hougang after WP candidate Tan Bin Seng decide to contest there due to familiarities.[4]

Additionally, opposition candidates secured at least 40% of the vote in 14 constituencies, including 2 GRCs and 6 SMCs. Marginal close contests of less than 5% in Changi SMC (47.00%), Nee Soon South SMC (47.24%), Eunos GRC (47.62%), Braddell Heights SMC (47.73%) and Bukit Batok SMC (48.18%) highlighted the rising support for alternative parties and reflected a significant shift in public sentiment against the PAP's policies at the time. Despite the "by-election effect", opposition candidates narrowly missed out on winning additional seats beyond their final tally. These close outcomes highlighted the momentum the opposition could build despite the PAP's efforts to maintain a significant advantage, even though it ultimately fell short of securing greater parliamentary representation.[5]

At a post-election press conference on the night of 31 August, Goh attributed the swing against the PAP to his "open and consultative style of government" and pledged to re-evaluate his style. Since the introduction of the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament scheme in 1984, this was the first election (and to date the only as of 2025) no NCMP seats were offered since four elected opposition seats exceeded the minimum of three NCMP seats allotted; this led to the eventual retirement of Lee Siew Choh in 1993, despite his team of Eunos GRC being narrowly defeated by an inferior margin.[1]

While both deputy prime ministers Ong Teng Cheong and Lee Hsien Loong were undergoing treatment for cancer, Goh called a by-election in his own constituency just a year after the general election. He justified the move as a strategic opportunity for "political self-renewal", aiming to attract individuals of "ministerial calibre" to join the PAP government. The by-election also coincided with the expiry of opposition politician J. B. Jeyaretnam's political ban, creating a potential opening for his return to electoral politics.[1]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b 844,668 of the 1,692,384 voters were registered in uncontested constituencies, leaving 847,716 voters able to vote.
2. ^ Excluding Non-constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs).
3. ^ 21 Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) and 15 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs).
4. ^ The record has since superseded by the WP in the 2020 election with 50.49% of the votes.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f Mutalib, Hussin (1992). "Singapore's 1991 General Election". Southeast Asian Affairs: 299–309\. ISSN 0377-5437. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
2. ^ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p255 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
3. ^ "21 single-member wards, 15 GRCs for next election". The Straits Times. 10 August 1991. p. 22. Retrieved 9 May 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
4. ^ "Hougang The Documentary". 2 November 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
5. ^ Singh, Bilveer (1992). Whither PAP's dominance? an analysis of Singapore's 1991 general elections. Pelanduk Publications. ISBN 9679784185.

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