1979 Singaporean by-elections

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1979 Singaporean by-elections
Flag of Singapore.svg
  1977 10 February 1979 1981  

7 seats to the Parliament of Singapore
Registered80,075
Turnout74,887 (93.52%) Decrease2.svg 1.39%
 First partySecond party
  Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore Making a Toast at a State Dinner Held in His Honor, 1975.jpg JoshuaBenjaminJeyaretnam-Singapore-20051107-cropped.jpg
Leader Lee Kuan Yew J. B. Jeyaretnam
Party PAP WP
Seats won70
Seat changeSteady2.svgSteady2.svg
Popular vote53,2228,036
Percentage72.69%10.98%
SwingDecrease2.svg 1.37%Increase2.svg 5.59%

MP before election

Perumal Govindaswamy
Yong Nyuk Lin
Ng Yeow Chong
Ong Soo Chuan
Ivan Baptist
Teong Eng Siong
Shaik Ahmad bin Abdul Haleem
PAP

Contents

Elected MP

Devan Nair
Teh Cheang Wan
Eugene Yap
Koh Lip Lin
Howe Yoon Chong
Tony Tan
Rohan bin Kamis
PAP

The by-elections were held on 10 February for seven constituencies, with the nomination day held on 31 January. With 80,075 registered voters, the 1979 by-elections remain the largest by-election to have ever taken place in post-independence Singapore.

All PAP candidates, Devan Nair, Eugene Yap Giau Cheng, Howe Yoon Chong, Tony Tan, Rohan bin Kamis, Koh Lip Lin, and Teh Cheang Wan, won their respective contests with two walkovers, defeating candidates from Democratic Progressive Party, United People's Front, and an independent candidate.

Background

Continuing the trend of People's Action Party's renewal just as they did in the 1970 by-elections, six seats, including Communications minister Yong Nyuk Lin, were vacated on 12 January to make room for six new MPs. A seventh seat in Anson was earlier vacated a year prior following the death of Perumal Govindaswamy. As such, the seven seats at stake is widely regarded as the biggest-ever by-election in Singapore's history, and it had the most seats changed since the Barisan Sosialis' mass exodus back in the inaugural Parliament back in 1966.

The United People's Front criticized Barisan Sosialis for abstaining the by-elections citing an uphill contest against opposition stalwarts. In the end, only Geylang West (which one United Front (now Democratic Progressive Party) candidate was later disqualified) and Nee Soon were uncontested. As of 2025, this by-election was the most recent by-election in Singapore with walkovers.

The by-election saw the return of Devan Nair into Singapore politics since 1963, as well as future minister Tony Tan; both of these candidates would go on to become Presidents of Singapore.

Results

By-election 1979: Anson
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
PAP Chengara Veetil Devan Nair 8,12786.2N/A
DPP Johnny Wee Lai Seng1,30013.8N/A
Majority6,82772.4N/A
Turnout 9,69486.2N/A
PAP hold Swing N/A
By-election 1979: Geylang West
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
PAP Teh Cheang Wan Walkover
Majority
Turnout 20,874
PAP hold Swing N/A
By-election 1979: Mountbatten
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
PAP Eugene Yap Giau Cheng10,52879.9+14.0
DPP Seow Khee Leng 2,64220.1−14.0
Majority7,88659.8+28
Turnout 13,53694.9−0.4
PAP hold Swing +14.0
By-election 1979: Nee Soon
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
PAP Koh Lip Lin Walkover
Majority
Turnout 15,932
PAP hold Swing N/A
By-election 1979: Potong Pasir
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
PAP Howe Yoon Chong 9,05666.8−8.0
Independent Chiam See Tong 4,49133.2+33.2
Majority4,56533.6−16
Turnout 13,85494.2+0.6
PAP hold Swing -8.0
By-election 1979: Sembawang
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
PAP Tony Tan Keng Yam 12,82478.4−5.2
United People's FrontHarbans Singh3,52821.6+5.2
Majority9,29656.8−10.4
Turnout 16,71494.6−0.2
PAP hold Swing -5.2
By-election 1979: Telok Blangah
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
PAP Rohan bin Kamis12,68761.2N/A
WP Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam 8,03638.8N/A
Majority4,65122.4N/A
Turnout 21,08995.0N/A
PAP hold Swing N/A

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