Singaporean general election, 1951

The 1951 Legislative Council General Elections was held in Singapore on 10 April 1951 to elect nine seats on the Legislative Council, up from six seats in the 1948 elections. A 32-day long campaign period was scheduled, with nomination day on 8 March 1951.

The number of elected seats increased from six to nine, while the remaining 16 appointed seats would be status quo. The British government approved the suggestion by political parties to carve the six constituencies within the city according to municipal districts, including Balestier (North), Keppel (South), Katong (East) and Tanglin (West), while the rural area was divided into three instead of two. Gone were joint districts. One of the four Non-Officio Legislative Councillors and only woman Councillor appointed was war heroine Mrs Elizabeth Choy, who contested unsuccessfully in the 1950 Municipal Commission election. Progressive Party's main political opponent at the municipal level, the Labour Party, entered the legislative fray. Well-known Malay politician Mansoor bin Adabi, husband of Maria Bertha Hertogh (also known as Natra binte Maarof), the young Dutch woman whose parentage controversy sparked a racial riot in Singapore a year ago, planned to contest Bukit Timah under the PP banner but withdrew his nomination at the final minute for unknown reasons. The campaign manager for PP vice-chairman John Laycock was Lee Kuan Yew, a legal assistant in the former's law firm who would form the People's Action Party in 1954. Voting was again not compulsory and the privilege of only certain citizens.

Out of 48,155 registered voters, only 52.8% took the effort to vote, again bogged down by boycott calls and with the city still suffering from the after effects of the Maria Hertogh riots four months before voting took place.

Results summary

See also

• Past Singaporean electoral divisions

References

• Sr, Pugalenthi (1996) Elections in Singapore VJ Times International Pte Ltd, Singapore ISBN 981-221-025-3

External links

• Singapore Elections Webpage