1955 Singaporean general election

General elections were held in Singapore on 2 April 1955 to elect 25 members of the Legislative Assembly. It marked a pivotal moment in Singapore's political development, being the first election conducted under the Rendel Constitution, which introduced a significantly expanded legislature with a majority of elected seats. Of the 32 seats in the new Legislative Assembly, 25 were contested by election, while the remainder were filled by nominated or ex-officio members. The election featured multiple new political parties and was the first to witness widespread participation by locally founded political organisations.^[1][2]

1955 Singaporean general election

← 1951 2 April 1955 1959 →
elected members →
25 of the 32 seats in the Legislative Assembly 17 seats needed for a majority
Registered	300,199
Turnout	52.66% ( 0.61pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader David Marshall Tan Chye Cheng Tan Ek Khoo Party LF PP DP Last election – 45.37%, 6 seats – Seats won 10 4 2 Seat change New 2 New Popular vote 42,300 38,695 32,115 Percentage 27.06% 24.75% 20.54% Swing New 20.62% New   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Lee Kuan Yew Wong Foo Nam Abdul Hamid Jumat Party PAP MCA UMNO Last election – – – Seats won 3 1 1 Seat change New New New Popular vote 13,634 6,203 5,721 Percentage 8.72% 3.97% 3.66% Swing New New New   Seventh party   Leader Inche Sidik Party Malay Union Last election – Seats won 1 Seat change New Popular vote 1,233 Percentage 0.79% Swing New
Results by constituency
Chief Minister before election Position established Chief Minister after election David Marshall LF

The election resulted in a hung assembly, with the Labour Front (LF), a newly formed centre-left party led by David Marshall, emerging as the largest party with 10 seats. The People's Action Party (PAP), contesting its first general election under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, won 3 seats, while the Progressive Party (PP), the largest party in the previous Legislative Council, suffered a significant decline, securing only 4 seats. Marshall was appointed Singapore's first Chief Minister after forming a minority government with the support of the Singapore branches of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and several independents.^[3][4][5]

The 1955 election was significant in setting the stage for the self-governance of Singapore. It introduced a partially elected government responsible for internal affairs, though the British colonial authorities retained control over external affairs, defence and internal security.^[1][2] With more than 300,000 registered voters, the 1955 election saw a significant surge in voter registration compared to the 1948 and 1951 elections. However, voter turnout remained relatively low at 52.66%.^[4][6] The outcome of the election underscored the fragmentation and diversity of political opinion at the time as well as the rising tide of anti-colonial sentiment that would shape Singapore's future political trajectory.^[7]

Background

Following the promulgation of the Rendel Constitution, the 1955 elections marked the first occasion in which a majority of the Legislative Assembly seats were filled by election rather than appointment by the British colonial authorities. The new constitution was drafted based on recommendations from a committee headed by George William Rendel, aimed at granting greater autonomy to local citizens.^[1][2]

Under the new constitutional framework, executive power was shared between local elected representatives and the British colonial administration, with the introduction of the position of Chief Minister, who would be selected from among the elected legislators. The number of elected seats was increased to 25, while the British government retained the authority to appoint the remaining seven members. For the first time, political parties were allowed to adopt a standard symbol for all their candidates, and independent candidates could choose their own symbols instead of relying on a ballot system.^[1][5]

Additionally, the Colonial Secretary were replaced by the Chief Secretary, who was granted the power to appoint four nominated Assembly members. Several seats were removed from the legislature, including those held by the Solicitor-General, two directors, two ex officio members, representatives of the three commercial organisations (Singapore, Chinese and Indian) and the City Council.^[2][5]

Timeline

Date	Event
5 February	Dissolution of the Legislative Council
28 February	Nomination Day
2 April	Polling day
6 April	Inauguration of David Marshall as Chief Minister
7 April	Formation of Council of Ministers
22 April	Opening of 1st Legislative Assembly

Changes in electoral boundaries

See also: List of Singaporean electoral divisions (1955–59)

Constituency	Divisions 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

The Straits Times front page on election day

The Sunday Times the day after the election, reporting on the results and David Marshall's Labour Front victory.

Although many British observers had expected the Progressive Party (PP) to win the election and for its leader Tan Chye Cheng to be appointed Chief Minister, the outcome proved to be a major upset. The newly formed Labour Front (LF) emerged with the largest number of seats, and its chairman David Marshall was appointed instead after unseating Tan at Cairnhill. When including two nominated members aligned with the party, the LF held 12 seats. It subsequently formed a minority government with the Singapore branches of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA), each holding one seat, along with the support of the three ex-officio members of the Assembly, the Chief Secretary William Goode, Attorney-General John Davies and Financial Secretary Thomas Hart. This alliance commanded a slim majority of 17 out of 32 seats in the Assembly.^[1][5][2]

This election remains unique in Singapore's political history as the only general election to have resulted in a coalition government, the only occasion on which there was a hung legislature and the only time ever since that a ruling government was not formed by the People's Action Party (PAP). On the opposition side, the newly established PAP, led by lawyer and former PP election agent Lee Kuan Yew, deliberately contested only a limited number of constituencies as a protest against the Rendel Constitution. After the election, independent candidate Ahmad Ibrahim joined the PAP, bringing its representation in the Assembly to four members. Lee won Tanjong Pagar with 78.33% of the votes, one of the highest margins in the election, and later remarked that he had also considered contesting Tanglin, but chose Tanjong Pagar due to its strong dockworker base and welfare networks.^[7][3]

Although the electorate had expanded more than sixfold compared to previous elections, this remained the last general election to date in which voting was not compulsory. Voter turnout increased only marginally to 52.66%, a rise of 0.61%. Southern Islands recorded the highest turnout at 70%, while six constituencies saw turnouts below 50%, with Geylang registering the lowest at 41%. In contrast, the lowest turnout in the 1951 election had been City, at 44%. This was also the last general election where no party contested every seat.^[4]

The best-performing candidate was Lim Yew Hock of the LF, a future Chief Minister, who secured 86% of the vote and won by a margin of 79 percentage points. At the other end of the spectrum, independent candidate Chua Kim Watt received just 0.55% of the vote in Farrer Park, making him the worst-performing candidate. The narrowest winning margin was recorded by Malay Union candidate Inche Sidik, who won by just 1.15 percentage points. Ten candidates forfeited their $500 election deposits after failing to secure the required vote threshold.^[4]

Popular vote

1. LF (27.1%)
2. Progressive (24.8%)
3. Democratic (20.5%)
4. PAP (8.72%)
5. Independents (9.66%)
6. MCA (3.97%)
7. UMNO (3.66%)
8. Others (1.64%)

Seats won

1. 10 seats (LF) (40.0%)
2. 4 seats (Progressive) (16.0%)
3. 3 seats (PAP) (12.0%)
4. 3 seats (Independents) (12.0%)
5. 2 seats (Democratic) (8.00%)
6. 1 seat (Malay Union) (4.00%)
7. 1 seat (MCA) (4.00%)
8. 1 seat (UMNO) (4.00%)

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Labour Front	42,300	27.06	10	New
	Progressive Party	38,695	24.75	4	–2
	Democratic Party	32,115	20.54	2	New
	People's Action Party	13,634	8.72	3	New
	Malayan Chinese Association	6,203	3.97	1	New
	United Malays National Organisation	5,721	3.66	1	New
	Labour Party	1,325	0.85	0	–2
	Malay Union	1,233	0.79	1	New
	Independents	15,098	9.66	3	+2
Total		156,324	100.00	25	+16
Valid votes		156,324	98.89
Invalid/blank votes		1,751	1.11
Total votes		158,075	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		300,199	52.66
Source: Singapore Elections

Parties contested vote Party Votes UMNO   61.04% PAP   55.74% Malay   50.57% LF   38.73% MCA   33.61% Progressive   27.80% Democratic   24.80% Independent   24.00% Labour   19.80%

By constituency

Constituency	Electorate	Party		Candidate	Votes	%	Swing	Margin
Bukit Panjang	8,012		Progressive Party	Goh Tong Liang	3,097	72.21	N/A	44.42
			Labour Front	Lim Wee Toh	1,192	27.79	N/A
Bukit Timah	9,173		People's Action Party	Lim Chin Siong	3,259	52.45	N/A	31.40
			Democratic Party	Tan Wah Meng	1,308	21.05	N/A
			Labour Front	A. N. Mitra	924	14.88	N/A
			Progressive Party	S. F. Ho	722	11.62	45.53
Cairnhill	13,528		Labour Front	David Marshall	3,305	47.58	N/A	11.16
			Progressive Party	Tan Chye Cheng	2,530	36.42	N/A
			Democratic Party	Tan Khiang Khoo	1,111	16.00	N/A
Changi	11,239		Democratic Party	Lim Cher Kheng	2,624	45.08	N/A	15.89
			Progressive Party	S. G. Mohamed Ghows	1,699	29.19	43.33
			Labour Front	Wong Sau Sheung	1,498	25.73	N/A
Farrer Park	12,242		Labour Front	A. R. Lazarous	2,585	38.52	N/A	5.45
			People's Action Party	Devan Nair	2,219	33.07	N/A
			Progressive Party	Eric Wee Sian Beng	1,784	26.59	N/A
			Independent	C. T. B. Unnithan	85	1.27	N/A
			Independent	Chua Kim Watt	37	0.55	N/A
Geylang	16,604		Labour Front	Mak Pak Shee	2,756	41.17	N/A	20.46
			Independent	Goh Hood Kiat	1,386	20.71	N/A
			Labour Party	Lee Yong Min	1,325	19.80	N/A
			Democratic Party	Lam Joon Chong	1,226	18.32	N/A
Havelock	12,835		Labour Front	Lim Yew Hock	5,744	86.48	N/A	78.58
			Independent	C. S. Soh	525	7.90	N/A
			Progressive Party	Chua Bock Kwee	373	5.62	N/A
Kampong Kapor	13,815		Labour Front	Seah Peng Chuan	3,253	45.60	N/A	15.39
			Independent	Caralapati Raghaviah Dasaratha Raj	2,155	30.21	N/A
			Democratic Party	Wong Shian Yein	1,283	17.98	N/A
			Progressive Party	Lim Kian Lee	443	6.21	N/A
Katong	22,196		Labour Front	A. J. Braga	4,680	45.66	N/A	16.73
			Progressive Party	John Laycock	2,965	28.93	35.27
			Democratic Party	Chan Wah Chip	2,605	25.41	N/A
Pasir Panjang	13,812		Malayan Chinese Association	Wong Foo Nam	3,546	45.17	N/A	14.98
			Progressive Party	K. Mohd S. Hamid	2,370	30.19	N/A
			Labour Front	P. V. Krishnan	1,306	16.63	N/A
			Democratic Party	Leong Foon Chew	629	8.01	N/A
Paya Lebar	12,827		Progressive Party	Lim Koon Teck	3,330	52.07	N/A	4.14
			Democratic Party	Tan Eng Joo	3,065	47.93	N/A
Punggol–Tampines	6,628		People's Action Party	Goh Chew Chua	2,127	55.38	N/A	31.48
			Democratic Party	Anthony Goh	918	23.90	N/A
			Progressive Party	H. A. De Silva	796	20.72	N/A
Queenstown	7,015		Labour Front	Lee Choon Eng	2,792	67.28	N/A	49.55
			Democratic Party	Murray Bruce Brash	736	17.73	N/A
			Progressive Party	Elizabeth Choy	622	14.99	N/A
Rochore	12,073		Labour Front	Tan Theng Chiang	2,929	46.25	N/A	16.30
			Democratic Party	Ong Eng Lian	1,897	29.95	N/A
			Progressive Party	Soh Ghee Soon	1,507	23.80	19.32
Seletar	9,402		Independent	Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair	1,771	31.83	N/A	2.50
			Independent	Lek Poh Song	1,632	29.33	N/A
			Democratic Party	Tan Leong Teck	1,252	22.50	N/A
			Labour Front	Khew Pee Ging	909	16.34	N/A
Sembawang	10,675		Independent	Ahmad Ibrahim	4,281	63.24	N/A	26.48
			Progressive Party	Lee Kim Kee	2,488	36.76	N/A
Serangoon	8,402		Progressive Party	Lim Choon Mong	2,172	45.83	N/A	16.03
			Democratic Party	Lim Chye Seng	1,412	29.80	N/A
			Malayan Chinese Association	Lim Siew Ek	1,155	24.37	N/A
Southern Islands	3,548		Malay Union	Inche Sidik	1,233	50.57	N/A	1.14
			Progressive Party	H. J. C. Kulasingha	1,205	49.43	N/A
Stamford	13,207		Labour Front	Jumabhoy Mohamed Jumabhoy	2,691	43.08	N/A	22.57
			Independent	T. A. Simon	1,281	20.51	N/A
			Progressive Party	Nazir Ahmad Mallal	1,153	18.46	N/A
			Democratic Party	Ng Sen Choy	1,121	17.95	N/A
Tanglin	16,177		Progressive Party	John Ede	3,214	45.67	34.47	10.13
			Democratic Party	Lim Yong Bock	2,501	35.54	N/A
			Labour Front	Lim Seow Chuan	1,322	18.79	N/A
Tanjong Pagar	13,430		People's Action Party	Lee Kuan Yew	6,029	78.33	N/A	66.53
			Progressive Party	Peter Lim Seck Tiong	908	11.80	N/A
			Democratic Party	Lam Thian	760	9.87	N/A
Telok Ayer	11,547		Independent	Rajabali Jumabhoy	1,945	39.90	N/A	9.60
			Democratic Party	Sng Siak Hwee	1,453	30.30	N/A
			Labour Front	Tan Ewe Chee	1,660	29.80	N/A
Tiong Bahru	12,664		Democratic Party	William Tan Ah Lek	2,264	38.60	N/A	2.80
			Progressive Party	Foo Few Ting	2,100	35.80	N/A
			Malayan Chinese Association	Teo Seng Bee	1,502	25.60	N/A
Ulu Bedok	16,903		United Malays National Organisation	Abdul Hamid Jumat	5,721	61.04	N/A	29.04
			Democratic Party	Toh Seng Sit	2,999	32.00	N/A
			Progressive Party	Abdul Hamid bin Rahmat	652	6.96	N/A
Whampoa	12,345		Labour Front	Chew Swee Kee	2,961	45.88	N/A	6.13
			Progressive Party	Thio Chan Bee	2,565	39.75	N/A
			Democratic Party	Lee Kok Liang	927	14.37	N/A
Source: ELD, Singapore Elections

See also

• List of Singaporean electoral divisions (1955–59)