Since 1948, general elections have been held to elect representatives to Singapore’s legislature. The first election was held in 1948 to elect six unofficial members to the 22-seat Legislative Council. The electorate was, however, limited to British subjects. Over ...
On 2 April 1949, the Municipal Commission election was held to elect 18 of the 27 members of the Municipal Commission. This election was the result of the enactment of the Municipal Elections Ordinance in 1948. The 1949 Municipal Commission election was a political ...
Elected presidency was legislated in Singapore in 1991 to help safeguard Singapore’s national reserves and ensure the integrity of the public service. The powers of an elected president was first exercised by the incumbent president, Wee Kim Wee. Singapore’s first ...
On 2 April 1955, a general election was held to elect 25 out of 32 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Singapore. The landmark election was the first time a majority of legislators was elected by popular ballot rather than appointed by colonial authorities. The ...
Singapore’s only election for a fully elected City Council was held in December 1957. The City Council administered the urban areas of Singapore and was responsible for water supply, electricity, gas, roads and bridges, and street lighting. In July 1957, the Legislative ...
The Parliamentary Elections (Election Advertising) Regulations is an official set of legislated rules and guidelines that regulates the use of posters and banners, as well as online advertising platforms, during the periods of political campaigning in the General ...
Between 1959 and 1965, Singapore’s head of state was known as the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Malay for “Head of State”).The post was created to replace the governor as head of state when Singapore attained self-governing status under British rule. When Singapore became ...
On 30 May 1959, a General Election was held to elect 51 members for the Legislative Assembly. A total of 194 candidates from more than 10 political parties contested for the seats. In the end, the People’s Action Party (PAP), led by Lee Kuan Yew, was voted into ...
Seet Ai Mee (Dr) (b. 31 March 1943, Singapore–) was Singapore’s first female Cabinet minister. She assumed the position in July 1991 when she was appointed Acting Minister for Community Development in a cabinet reshuffle. Seet is also known for her contributions ...
Barisan Sosialis, a now defunct political party, was formed in 1961 by the People's Action Party (PAP) left-wing members who were expelled from the party. It became the main opposition party in self-governing Singapore. However, following Singapore's independence ...
The Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme was introduced in 1984 to ensure that there would always be a minimum number of opposition members represented in parliament. Under the scheme, the losing opposition candidates with the highest percentage ...
Formal art and music education programmes in Singapore were established by the British colonial government in the 1920s and ’30s respectively. Private Chinese-medium schools also offered art education through courses run by professional artists. After Singapore ...
The People’s Action Party (PAP) was established on 21 November 1954 with the primary objective of striving for Singapore’s independence from British rule. The political party was first led by Lee Kuan Yew as its secretary-general, with Toh Chin Chye as its founding ...
On 9 August 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent and sovereign state. The separation was the result of deep political and economic differences between the ruling parties of Singapore and Malaysia. Even before the proclamation of the ...
The first Cooling-off Day was implemented for Singapore’s general election in 2011. No campaigning activities are allowed on Cooling-off Day, which is designated as the day before polling day to give voters time to think rationally and reflect on the issues that ...
Bilingualism has been the cornerstone of Singapore’s language policy since the People’s Action Party (PAP) was elected to power in 1959. The policy entails an emphasis on using English and the mother tongue languages, particularly that of the three main ethnic ...
Void decks are the open spaces located on the ground floor of Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks of flats. These were introduced in blocks built after 1969. The void deck is generally defined by the structural columns of the block. Small kiosks selling ...
A group representation constituency (GRC) is a type of electoral division or constituency in Singapore that is represented by a team of multiracial candidates. The other type of electoral division is the single-member constituency (SMC), which is represented by ...
David Saul Marshall (b. 12 March 1908, Singapore–d. 12 December 1995, Singapore), Singapore’s first elected chief minister from 6 April 1955 to 7 June 1956, was a diplomat, top-notch criminal lawyer, leader of the Labour Front and founder of the Workers’ Party. ...
Alexander Laurie Johnston (b. Dumfriesshire, South Scotland–d. February 1850, Bluehill, Kircudbright, Scotland), a former ship’s owner/captain, merchant, businessman, magistrate and Justice of the Peace, arrived in Singapore between 1819 and 1820. One of the earliest ...