1991 Singaporean general election

1991 Singaporean general election

31 August 1991

All 81 directly elected seats in Parliament (and up to 3 NCMPs)
Registered1,692,384
Turnout95.03% ( 0.33pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Goh Chok Tong Chiam See Tong J. B. Jeyaretnam
Party PAP SDP WP
Leader's seat Marine Parade GRC Potong Pasir SMC Did Not Contest
Last election 63.17%, 80 seats 11.80%, 1 seat 16.72%, 1 seat
Seats won 77 3 1
Seat change 3 2
Popular vote 477,760 93,856 112,010
Percentage 60.97% 11.98% 14.29%
Swing 2.20pp 0.18pp 2.43pp

Results by constituency

Prime Minister before election

Goh Chok Tong
PAP

Prime Minister after election

Goh Chok Tong
PAP

General elections were held in Singapore on 31 August 1991 to elect 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.

Voting was held in only 25 constituencies covering 40 seats, while the other 11 constituencies, comprising 41 seats, went uncontested, with People's Action Party (PAP) candidates returned unopposed on nomination day. As a result, the outcome of the elections was effectively determined before polling day. The election resulted in a decisive landslide victory for the PAP, which secured 77 out of 81 seats, and another supermajority. However, the opposition made historic gains. The Workers' Party (WP), led by J.B. Jeyaretnam but was ineligible to contest due to his conviction in 1986, won Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC), while the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), under the leadership of Chiam See Tong, retained Potong Pasir SMC and captured Nee Soon Central and Bukit Gombak SMCs.

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. 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.