The first parliamentary general election held after Singapore gained independence in 1965 took place on13 April1968. Parliament was dissolved on 9 February and nomination day was held on 17 February.[1] Only 7 of the 58 parliamentary seats were contested – two by the Workers’ Party and the rest by independents – as 51 candidates from the People’s Action Party (PAP) were returned unopposed on nomination day.[2] The Barisan Sosialis decided to boycott the election on the grounds that “elections under the present undemocratic laws are a complete farce…’’.[3]
On polling day, the PAP captured 65,812 votes out of the total 77,984 votes cast, thus winning the seven contested constituencies of Tanjong Pagar, Jalan Kayu, Nee Soon, Farrer Park, Moulmein, Geylang Serai and Kampong Ubi.[4] The 1968 general election marked the first time that a single party had won all seats in parliament.
References
1. Yeo, J. (1968, February 10). Feb. 17 is line-up day. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. Yeo, J. et al. (1968, February 18). Walk-over April 13 polling day in Singapore. The Straits Times, p. 1; Yeo, J. (1968, April 13). Polling today in Singapore. The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. The Straits Times, 10 Feb 1968, p. 1.
4. Chandran, R. et al. (1968, April 14). The PAP seven sweep to victory. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG
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