Singaporean general election, 1968
Encyclopedia
General elections were held in Singapore
on 19 April 1968, the first after independence from Malaysia. The result was a victory for the People's Action Party
, which won all 58 seats, the first of four consecutive elections in which they repeated the feat. However, the elections were boycotted by the opposition, the Barisan Sosialis
and several other opposition parties except Workers Party
. Voter turnout was 91.8%, although this figure represents the turnout in the only seven constituencies to be contested, namely Farrer Park, Geylang Serai, Jalan Kayu, Kampong Ubi, Moulmein, Nee Soon and Tanjong Pagar with PAP candidates earning walkovers in the other 51.
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 19 April 1968, the first after independence from Malaysia. 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 58 seats, the first of four consecutive elections in which they repeated the feat. However, the elections were boycotted by the opposition, the 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:...
and several other opposition parties except 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...
. Voter turnout was 91.8%, although this figure represents the turnout in the only seven constituencies to be contested, namely Farrer Park, Geylang Serai, Jalan Kayu, Kampong Ubi, Moulmein, Nee Soon and Tanjong Pagar with PAP candidates earning walkovers in the other 51.
Background
Following the resignations of 11 Barisan Sosialis MPs and exodus of two BS MPs from Singapore to escape the Internal Security Department, the Parliament was left with only PAP MPs. BS boycotted the elections on the grounds that Singapore's independence was "phoney" and several opposition parties heeded its call. The chiefs of PKMS (former UMNO), Ahmad Haji Taff, and SCP (former MCA), Chng Boon Eng, turned up but did not file their nominations. Due to this, three precedents were set - the least number of seats contested in a general election, the first time PAP was returned to power on nomination day and the first time it won all seats. Henceforth, walkovers became a perpetual feature in every succeeding GE.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.... |
65,812 | 86.7 | 58 | |
| 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... |
3,049 | 4.0 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 7,033 | 9.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 2,058 | |||
| Total | 77,952 | 100 | 58 | +7 |
| Source: Nohlen et al | ||||