1955 Singaporean general election

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1955 Singaporean general election
Flag of Singapore (1952-1959).svg
  1951 2 April 1955 1959  

25 of the 32 seats in the Legislative Assembly
17 seats needed for a majority
Registered300,199
Turnout52.66% (Increase2.svg 0.61pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
  David Marshall, 1950.jpg Tan Chye Cheng (cropped).png
Leader David Marshall Tan Chye Cheng Tan Ek Khoo
Party LF PP DP
Last election45.37%, 6 seats
Seats won1042
Seat changeNewDecrease2.svg 2New
Popular vote42,30038,69532,115
Percentage27.06%24.75%20.54%
SwingNewDecrease2.svg 20.62%New

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
  Mr. Lee Kuan Yew Mayoral reception 1965 (cropped).jpg Wong Foo Nam.png Abdul Hamid bin Haji Jumat.jpg
Leader Lee Kuan Yew Wong Foo Nam Abdul Hamid Jumat
Party PAP MCA UMNO
Last election
Seats won311
Seat changeNewNewNew
Popular vote13,6346,2035,721
Percentage8.72%3.97%3.66%
SwingNewNewNew

 Seventh party
  Inche Sidik.png
Leader Inche Sidik
Party Malay Union
Last election
Seats won1
Seat changeNew
Popular vote1,233
Percentage0.79%
SwingNew

Map of the results of the 1955 Singaporean general election.svg
Results by constituency

Chief Minister before election

Position established

Chief Minister after election

David Marshall
LF

General elections were held in Singapore on 2 April 1955 to elect members to the 25 elected seats in the Legislative Assembly. Nomination day was on 28 February 1955.

Contents

Background

Following the promulgation of the Rendel Constitution, the 1955 elections were the first occasion on which a majority of the seats were to be elected rather than be appointed by the colonial authorities. The new constitution was written after recommendations by a committee to grant local citizens more autonomy, headed by George Rendel, were passed.

According to the new Constitution, locals would share executive power with the colonial authorities and there would be a Chief Minister among elected legislators. The number of elected seats was increased to 25, with the British government appointing the remaining seven members. For the first time, political parties were permitted to adopt a standard party symbol for all their candidates and independents to select theirs instead of balloting for them. [1]

The Governor of Singapore and Colonial Secretary posts were replaced by a Chief Secretary, who inherited the power to appoint four nominated Assembly Members. Also scrapped were the seats of the Solicitor-General, two directors, two ex officios, the three commercial organisations and the City Council representative.

Timeline

DateEvent
5 FebruaryDissolution of the Legislative Council
28 FebruaryNomination Day
2 AprilPolling day
6 AprilInauguration of David Marshall as Chief Minister
7 AprilFormation of Council of Ministers
22 AprilOpening of 1st Legislative Assembly

Changes in electoral boundaries

ConstituencyDivisions formed from
Bukit Panjang Bukit Timah & Seletar
Cairnhill Balestier, Rochore & Tanglin
Farrer Park Balestier
Geylang Katong
Havelock City, Keppel & Tanglin
Kampong Kapor Rochore
Pasir Panjang Bukit Timah & Keppel
Paya Lebar Changi & Katong
Punggol–Tampines Changi
Queenstown Bukit Timah, Keppel & Tanglin
Sembawang Bukit Timah & Seletar
Serangoon Balestier, Changi & Seletar
Southern Islands Bukit Timah & Keppel
Stamford City & Rochore
Tanjong Pagar City & Keppel
Telok Ayer City
Tiong Bahru Keppel
Ulu Bedok Changi
Whampoa Balestier

Results

ST2April1955.jpg
The Straits Times front page on election day
ST3April1955.jpg
The Sunday Times the day after the election, reporting on the results and David Marshall's Labour Front victory.

Though many British predicted that the Progressive Party would win and Tan Chye Cheng would become Chief Minister, the results were an upset, with the Labour Front winning the most seats and chairman David Marshall becoming Singapore's first Chief Minister after winning in the Cairnhill constituency with 48% of the vote, defeating Tan (36%). With 12 seats (two nominated members were party members), LF formed a coalition government with the United Malays National Organisation (one seat) and Malaysian Chinese Association (one seat) and three ex-officio members (Chief Secretary Sir William Goode, Attorney-General Sir John Edward Davies and Financial Secretary Thomas Mure Hart), which held 17 of the 32 seats, just enough for a majority into the 32-seat assembly. [1] As a result, the 1955 elections remain the only general election to date where a coalition government was formed, the only hung legislature, and the only time the government was not formed by the People's Action Party.

On the opposition side, the newly formed People's Action Party, led by lawyer and former Progressive Party election agent Lee Kuan Yew, chose to field only a handful of candidates to protest against the Rendel Constitution. As independent member Ahmad Ibrahim joined the PAP following the elections, meaning the PAP had four members in the Assembly. [2] Lee won the second-highest vote share of the election with 78% of the vote in Tanjong Pagar; in a statement, Lee also considered Tanglin before choosing Tanjong Pagar due to the influence and welfare with dock workers in the area. [3]

While this was the last general election to date in which voting was not mandatory and despite the electorate increasing sixfold, voter turnout barely increased to 53%, up by 0.61pp. The Southern Islands constituency had the highest turnout at 70%. However, six of 25 constituencies had turnouts of under 50%, with Geylang having the lowest turnout at 41%; in comparison to the last election, the constituency with the lowest turnout was City with 44%.

The election's best performing candidate was Labour Front candidate and future Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock who polled 86% of the vote and had a large winning margin of 79%, while the worst performing candidate was independent Chua Kim Watt, who polled just 0.55% of the vote in Farrer Park. Malay Union candidate Inche Sidik won with the narrowest margin of just 1.15%.

10 candidates lost their $500 election deposits.

Singapore Legislative Assembly 1953.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Labour Front 42,30027.0610New
Progressive Party 38,69524.754–2
Democratic Party 32,11520.542New
People's Action Party 13,6348.723New
Malayan Chinese Association 6,2033.971New
United Malays National Organisation 5,7213.661New
Labour Party 1,3250.850–2
Malay Union 1,2330.791New
Independents15,0989.663+2
Total156,324100.0025+16
Valid votes156,32498.89
Invalid/blank votes1,7511.11
Total votes158,075100.00
Registered voters/turnout300,19952.66
Source: Singapore Elections

By constituency

ConstituencyElectoratePartyCandidateVotes%
Bukit Panjang 8,012 Progressive Party Goh Tong Liang 3,09772.21
Labour Front Lim Wee Toh1,19227.79
Bukit Timah 9,173 People's Action Party Lim Chin Siong 3,25952.45
Democratic Party Tan Wah Meng1,30821.05
Labour Front A. N. Mitra92414.88
Progressive Party S. F. Ho72211.62
Cairnhill 13,528 Labour Front David Marshall 3,30547.58
Progressive Party Tan Chye Cheng 2,53036.42
Democratic Party Tan Khiang Khoo1,11116.00
Changi 11,239 Democratic Party Lim Cher Kheng 2,62445.08
Progressive Party S. G. Mohamed Ghows1,69929.19
Labour Front Wong Sau Sheung1,49825.73
Farrer Park 12,242 Labour Front Anthony Rebeiro Lazarous 2,58538.52
People's Action Party Devan Nair 2,21933.07
Progressive Party Eric Wee Sian Beng1,78426.59
IndependentC. T. B. Unnithan851.27
IndependentChua Kim Watt370.55
Geylang 16,604 Labour Front Mak Pak Shee 2,75641.17
IndependentGoh Hood Kiat1,38620.71
Labour Party Lee Yong Min1,32519.80
Democratic Party Lam Joon Chong1,22618.32
Havelock 12,835 Labour Front Lim Yew Hock 5,74486.48
IndependentC. S. Soh5257.90
Progressive Party Chua Bock Kwee3735.62
Kampong Kapor 13,815 Labour Front Seah Peng Chuan 3,25345.60
IndependentCaralapati Raghaviah Dasaratha Raj2,15530.21
Democratic Party Wong Shian Yein1,28317.98
Progressive Party Lim Kian Lee4436.21
Katong 22,196 Labour Front Armand Joseph Braga 4,68045.66
Progressive Party John Laycock 2,96528.93
Democratic Party Chan Wah Chip2,60525.41
Pasir Panjang 13,812 Malayan Chinese Association Wong Foo Nam 3,54645.17
Progressive Party K. Mohd S. Hamid2,37030.19
Labour Front P. V. Krishnan1,30616.63
Democratic Party Leong Foon Chew6298.01
Paya Lebar 12,827 Progressive Party Lim Koon Teck 3,33052.07
Democratic Party Tan Eng Joo 3,06547.93
Punggol–Tampines 6,628 People's Action Party Goh Chew Chua 2,12755.38
Democratic Party Anthony Goh91823.90
Progressive Party H. A. De Silva79620.72
Queenstown 7,015 Labour Front Lee Choon Eng 2,79267.28
Democratic Party Murray Bruce Brash73617.73
Progressive Party Elizabeth Choy 62214.99
Rochore 12,073 Labour Front Tan Theng Chiang 2,92946.25
Democratic Party Ong Eng Lian1,89729.95
Progressive Party Soh Ghee Soon1,50723.80
Seletar 9,402Independent Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair 1,77131.83
IndependentLek Poh Song1,63229.33
Democratic Party Tan Leong Teck1,25222.50
Labour Front Khew Pee Ging90916.34
Sembawang 10,675Independent Ahmad Ibrahim 4,28163.24
Progressive Party Lee Kim Kee2,48836.76
Serangoon 8,402 Progressive Party Lim Choon Mong 2,17245.83
Democratic Party Lim Chye Seng1,41229.80
Malayan Chinese Association Lim Siew Ek1,15524.37
Southern Islands 3,548 Malay Union Inche Sidik 1,23350.57
Progressive Party Hollupatherage James Caldera Kulasingha1,20549.43
Stamford 13,207 Labour Front Jumabhoy Mohamed Jumabhoy 2,69143.08
IndependentT. A. Simon1,28120.51
Progressive Party Nazir Ahmad Mallal1,15318.46
Democratic Party Ng Sen Choy1,12117.95
Tanglin 16,177 Progressive Party John Ede 3,21445.67
Democratic Party Lim Yong Bock2,50135.54
Labour Front Lim Seow Chuan1,32218.79
Tanjong Pagar 13,430 People's Action Party Lee Kuan Yew 6,02978.33
Progressive Party Peter Lim Seck Tiong90811.80
Democratic Party Lam Thian7609.87
Telok Ayer 11,547Independent Rajabali Jumabhoy 1,94539.90
Democratic Party Sng Siak Hwee1,45330.30
Labour Front Tan Ewe Chee1,66029.80
Tiong Bahru 12,664 Democratic Party William Tan Ah Lek 2,26438.60
Progressive Party Foo Few Ting2,10035.80
Malayan Chinese Association Teo Seng Bee1,50225.60
Ulu Bedok 16,903 United Malays National Organisation Abdul Hamid Jumat 5,72161.04
Democratic Party Toh Seng Sit2,99932.00
Progressive Party Abdul Hamid bin Rahmat6526.96
Whampoa 12,345 Labour Front Chew Swee Kee 2,96145.88
Progressive Party Thio Chan Bee2,56539.75
Democratic Party Lee Kok Liang92714.37
Source: ELD, Singapore Elections

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "1955 Legislative Assembly general election". National Library Board . 24 January 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  2. "History of leader of Opposition in S'pore, from LKY to Chiam See Tong and Low Thia Khiang". mothership.sg. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  3. "The Singapore Maritime Story - Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew". www.srs.sg. Retrieved 6 July 2024.