General elections in Singapore

However, Parliament can also be dissolved and a general election called at the behest of the Prime Minister before the five-year period elapses.

), which governs the conduct of elections to Parliament, taking into account recommendations of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee.

Candidates can advertise on the Internet, conduct house-to-house visits, distribute pamphlets, put up banners and posters, and hold election rallies.

This makes the registration process faster than the previous practice of manually checking and striking off the names against a hardcopy register.

[5] However, in most cases Parliament is dissolved and a general election called at the behest of the Prime Minister, who is entitled to advise the President to do so by a proclamation published in the Government Gazette.

The President is not obliged to proclaim that Parliament is dissolved unless he is satisfied that the Prime Minister commands the confidence of a majority of MPs.

[46] After the date of the writ of election and at least two clear days before nomination day, a candidate or prospective candidate must provide the Registrar of Political Donations with a report stating all the donations received from permissible donors that amount to at least $10,000 received during the 12 months preceding the declaration mentioned in the next sentence.

[48] If this paperwork is in order, the Registrar will issue a political donation certificate not later than the eve of nomination day stating that the candidate has complied with the provisions of the Act.

[71] On or before nomination day, every candidate must declare to the returning officer the name of one person who will act as their election agent.

First, during the election period – that is, the period between the day the writ of election is issued and the start of polling day[96] – political parties, candidates or election agents may use the Internet to further candidates' campaigns, including using websites, chat rooms or discussion forums, video and photograph sharing or hosting websites, e-mail, micro-blog posts (such as Twitter), SMS and MMS messages, digital audio and video files, electronic media applications,[97] and blogs and social networking services (such as Facebook).

Posting or republishing of ads (which include sharing, resharing, reposting or boosting existing advertisements) can be done at anytime before Cooling-off day.

[113] Under content codes issued by the Media Development Authority, political advertising is not permitted on radio or television.

[123] All banners and posters must have a stamp bearing the returning officer's official mark on the bottom right-hand corner.

[135] Badges, favours, flags, rosettes, symbols, sets of colours, advertisements, handbills, placards, posters and replica voting papers may not be carried, worn, used or displayed by any person or on any vehicle as political propaganda,[137] although candidates may wear replicas of the symbols allotted to them for election purposes.

[146] If a person claiming to be a voter named in the electoral register turns up at a polling station after someone also claiming to be that voter has already voted, the second person is permitted to cast what is called a "tendered vote" using a ballot paper of a different colour after taking an oath to confirm his identity.

After voting ended, the ballot boxes are sealed and are transported back to Singapore; the counting is conducted a few days after the election ended and once all the boxes are safely returned, though the counts of the votes do not affect the eventual outcome as the overseas electorate is much smaller, ranging from 558 during the debut[151] to 6,570 in the recent 2020 election.

The applicant may also request for a scrutiny – that is, a re-examination of the ballot papers – if they allege that an unsuccessful candidate had a majority of lawful votes.

[177] Similarly, the judge may make an order allowing an authorised excuse for a failure to file a proper return or declaration relating to election expenses if the candidate or his principal election agent shows that he acted in good faith and that there is a reasonable explanation for the shortcoming such as his inadvertence or illness, or the absence, death, illness or misconduct of some other agent, clerk or officer.

[178] In particular, the judge may relieve a candidate from the consequences of an act or omission by his principal election agent if he did not sanction or connive in it and took all reasonable means to prevent it.

[181] The judge must also report to the President whether any corrupt or illegal practice was established to have been committed by or with the knowledge and consent of any candidate or his agent.

After the polls closed, the boxes, along with the slots, are sealed and wrapped before being transported to the designated counting centre by bus under police escort.

At the 1959 general election held on 30 May that year to give effect to the new constitution, the People's Action Party (PAP) led by Lee Kuan Yew swept into power with 43 out of 51 seats in the Assembly.

[190] Since then, the PAP has retained power and formed the Government through successive elections, and Singapore's merger with Malaysia in 1963 and full independence in 1965.

In the 1968 general election, the PAP was returned unopposed in all except seven of the 58 constituencies, and won the remaining seats with 84% of the popular vote.

[191] Thereafter, every seat in Parliament was held by a PAP MP until Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam of the Workers' Party of Singapore won a 1981 by-election in the Anson constituency.

For the first time, an opposition party – the Workers' Party – captured multiple GRCs with the newly formed four-seat Sengkang GRC (also the first time a newly formed constituency was won by the opposition on the first attempt) as well as retaining Hougang SMC and a five-seat Aljunied GRC, leaving the PAP with 83 out of 93 seats.

In the past, the Government took the position that the Prime Minister had discretion whether or not a by-election should be called to fill a casual vacancy in an SMC, and could leave a parliamentary seat unfilled until the next general election.

[199] It has been argued that the law should be amended, otherwise electors living in a GRC where a vacancy has arisen will lack parliamentary representation,[200] and with a missing MP the remaining MPs may find it difficult to deal with constituency matters.

[202] In response, the Government has said that the other MPs of the GRC continue to represent the electors and should be able to handle constituency matters without any problems.

[205] On the other hand, if an NMP vacates their seat, a Special Select Committee of Parliament may nominate a replacement to be appointed by the President.