Singaporean general election, 1972
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General elections were held in Singapore on 2 September 1972. The result was a victory for the People's Action Party, which won all 65 seats, the second of four consecutive elections in which they repeated the feat. Voter turnout was 93.5%, although this figure represents the turnout in the 57 constituencies to be contested,[2] with PAP candidates earning walkovers in the other eight.
Background
Unlike the last elections in 1968, vibrant contests made its return and the ruling PAP was challenged in nearly all seats. Barisan Sosialis changed tack from its boycott strategy and attempted to make a comeback. The Workers' Party was rejuvenated by former district judge J. B. Jeyaretnam while its former leader and ex-Chief Minister David Marshall, who had contemplated to stand as an independent candidate, was out of the running due to an injury. Despite expectations that the PAP will not have it as easy this time given the stiffer competition and Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew even anticipating that the PAP winning around 45 seats would be a convincing victory, PAP still managed to capture every seat in Parliament for the second time.
Describing the alternative opposition parties as having lost their credibility with swerving political manoeuvres, coupled with Singapore's strong economic progress and successful housing development without an opposition, the PAP declared that Singaporeans no longer saw need for political diversity, claiming that this led to squabbling that would impede its effective governance.
The new wards are:
- Boon Teck (from Toa Payoh)
- Bukit Batok (from Bukit Panjang, Bukit Timah and Choa Chu Kang)
- Henderson (from Tiong Bahru)
- Kim Keat (from Toa Payoh)
- Kim Seng (from Bukit Ho Swee & Delta)
- Kuo Chuan (from Toa Payoh)
- Leng Kee (from Bukit Merah)
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People's Action Party | 524,892 | 70.4 | 65 | +7 |
| Workers' Party | 90,885 | 12.2 | 0 | 0 |
| United National Front | 55,001 | 7.4 | 0 | New |
| Barisan Sosialis | 34,483 | 4.6 | 0 | New |
| People's Front | 22,462 | 3.0 | 0 | New |
| Singapore Malay National Organisation | 10,054 | 1.3 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 7,462 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 15,229 | - | - | - |
| Total | 760,468 | 100 | 65 | +7 |
| Source: Nohlen et al. | ||||
References
- ↑ "LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY GENERAL ELECTION 1963 – SEATS". Singapore Elections. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
- ↑ Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p254 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
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