Singaporean general election, 1951

Singaporean general election, 1951

8 March 1951

9 (of the 22) seats to the Legislative Council   Majority party Minority party   Leader Tan Chye Ching Lim Yew Hock Party PP Labour Party Leader's seat Tanglin Keppel Last election 3 seats, 49.5% - Seats won 6 4 Seat change +3 - Popular vote 11,202 7,335 Percentage 45.4% 29.7 Swing -4.1% +29.7%

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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

Elections and referendums in Singapore General elections 1948 1951 1955 1959 1963 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1991 1997 2001 2006 2011 next By-elections 1957 1961 1965 1966 1967 1970 1977 1979 1981 1992 2012 2013 Presidential elections 1993 1999‡ 2005‡ 2011 next Referendums 1962 City Council elections 1949 (Apr) 1949 (Dec) 1950 1951 1952 1953 1957 1958 by-election ‡ uncontested