General elections were held in Singapore on 31 August 1991 to elect all 81 members of Parliament. They were the ninth general elections since the introduction of self-government in 1959 and the seventh since independence in 1965. Despite changes to electoral boundaries, this was the first general election since 1963 that the number of parliamentary seats had remained unchanged. Up to three non-constituency seats (NCMPs) are also available, depending on the results. This was the first election contested by Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister, following his succession of Lee Kuan Yew in 1990.
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 61.0% was also the lowest it had received since independence. As of 2025, the 1991 elections remain the only occasion when no NCMP seats were offered since its creation in 1984.
Background
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]
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]
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
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]
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.[b]
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 ministersOng 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
1 2 844,668 of the 1,692,384 voters were registered in uncontested constituencies, leaving 847,716 voters able to vote.
↑ The record has since superseded by the WP in the 2020 election with 50.49% of the votes.
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