1968 Singaporean general election

1968 Singaporean general election

← 1963 13 April 1968 1972 →
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All 58 seats in Parliament 30 seats needed for a majority
Registered	84,883
Turnout	91.83% ( 3.28pp)
Majority party   Leader Lee Kuan Yew Party PAP Last election 46.93%, 37 seats Seats won 58 Seat change 21 Popular vote 65,812 Percentage 86.72% Swing 39.79pp
Results by constituency
Prime Minister before election Lee Kuan Yew PAP Prime Minister after election Lee Kuan Yew PAP

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General elections were held in Singapore on 13 April 1968, the first as a sovereign country after its independence three years prior.^[1] The People's Action Party (PAP) won in a landslide, winning all 58 seats at the time, including 51 uncontested constituencies. The PAP would end up occupying all seats in Parliament until 1981.

Following the resignations of eleven MPs from Barisan Sosialis (BS, Socialist Front) and two other BS MPs leaving Singapore in protest against independence, five by-elections were held within three years but PAP were successful in winning all the seats, resulting in complete supermajority control of Parliament by the PAP.

BS boycotted the elections on the grounds that Singapore's independence was "phoney" and several opposition parties heeded its call. The leaders of Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura (formerly the local branch of the UMNO), Ahmad Haji Taff, and the Singapore Chinese Party (formerly the local branch of the MCA), Chng Boon Eng, turned up but did not file their nominations.

Three precedents were made in this election: the fewest seats (seven) contested in a general election, and the first time PAP was returned to power on nomination day and the first time it won all seats, which ended up being a recurring theme until 1984. Walkovers also became a perpetual feature in every succeeding general election until 2015.

The 58 members of Parliament were elected in 58 single-member constituencies, an increase from 51 in the 1963 elections. The constituencies introduced or removed in the election, as well as constituencies with changes of boundaries, are shown on the table:

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	People's Action Party	65,812	86.72	+39.79	58	+21
	Workers' Party	3,049	4.02	+3.97	0	0
	Independents	7,033	9.27	+8.10	0	0
Total		75,894	100.00	–	58	+7
Valid votes		75,894	97.36
Invalid/blank votes		2,058	2.64
Total votes		77,952	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		759,367	91.83
Source: Nohlen et al., Singapore Elections[usurped][a]

Out of the seven seats contested (all by only two candidates), three had winning margins of over 75%, with the losers forfeiting their deposit. The result for Tanjong Pagar (94% to 6%) remains the biggest winning margin and percentage obtained to date.