# 1959 Singaporean general election

General elections were held in Singapore on 30 May 1959. They were held under the new constitution and were the first in which all 51 seats in the Legislative Assembly were filled by election. This was the first election victory for the People's Action Party (PAP), as they won a landslide victory with 43 seats. The party has remained in power ever since.

## Background
### Political developments

David Marshall, the politician who led the ruling Labour Front after winning the previous general election in 1955, was vocally anti-British and anti-colonialist, and the British found it difficult to come to an agreement or a compromise about a plan for self-government; Marshall resigned from the party a year later, pledging that he would either achieve self-government or to resign. In his place, Lim Yew Hock pursued an aggressive anti-communist campaign and manage to convince the British to make a definite plan for self-government.
By the time of the 1959 elections the Labour Front was in turmoil; Lim's strategy against the communists alienated a large part of the Chinese Singaporean electorate, which was the demographic targeted most during the anti-communist campaign. Lim's campaign also saw allegations of civil rights violations as many activists were detained without trial with the justification of internal security and tear gas were used against demonstrating students during the 1956 Chinese middle schools riots which were both anti-colonialist and anti-communist alike.

### Constitutional reform

The Constitution of Singapore was revised accordingly in 1958, replacing the Rendel Constitution with one that granted Singapore self-government and the ability for its own population to fully elect its Legislative Assembly. Previously under the Rendel Constitution, drawn up in 1955 by a commission led by George William Rendel, the Legislative Assembly and its leaders could not fully be determined by the population; the British government appointed seven of the 32 members, with the remaining 25 seats elected by the public, albeit with limited suffrage. This itself was an improvement from the pre-1955 Legislative Council, electing nine members to the council.
This election was the first election after its full internal self-government granted by the British authorities; Singapore was now a recognised state, but was yet to gain full independence since the British still have external affairs such as the military and foreign relations. Due to the removal of suffrage restrictions, voting was implemented to be compulsory for the first time, and had done so in every election since 1959.

### Parties

Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock formed Singapore People's Alliance on 10 November 1958, which consist of previously-elected Labour Front assembly members who were defected from Labour Front. SPA also invited members of Liberal Socialists and Workers' Party. SPA was formed to present a fresh image to voters in the lead up for the 1959 election, and ran on secure full employment and fair working conditions for workers, and achieving independence of Singapore through a merger with Malaya.
The tenure of Lim Yew Hock as Chief Minister, who succeeded Labour Front's David Marshall after his resignation in 1956, saw scant improvement to living conditions and unpopular tough measures on protesting unions. Lim's government also saw corruption during his tenure, and until the term expiry for Labour Front, all ten elected Assemblymen had resigned from the party due to credibility. These resignations saw the formation of three parties; in 1957, David Marshall founded the Workers' Party (one of the successful opposition parties of Singapore); in 1958, the Singapore People's Alliance (founded by Lim) and in 1959, the Citizens' Party.
SPA attempted to fight the record of the PAP administration in the City Council of Singapore with charges of corruptly appointing its supporters to fill up posts in the City Council, as well as raising concerns over the tenders of some Council contracts. The SPA even went as far as setting up a Commission of Inquiry in April 1959 to investigate whether there had been "irregularities or improprieties" in the working of the City Council. The inquiry, however, failed to reveal anything suspicious against the City Council and the hearings were adjourned indefinitely.
A new Party, Liberal Socialist Party (LSP) was formed by a merger of the Progressive Party and the Democratic Party. The Progressive Party which had won the 1948 and 1951 elections (but lost to Labour Front in the 1955 elections) had already fallen out of favour as it was perceived by much of the electorate by working for reform too slowly.
The Alliance was a coalition comprising the Singapore branch of three political parties from Malaya, namely the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC), which they ran on raising the standards of living as well as to strengthen economic ties between Singapore and Malaya. As their parent parties were the ruling coalition in Malaya under Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Alliance promised voters that it could work for an early merger if voted into power as they knew "exactly" what their Malayan counterparts wanted.
The Malay Union which ran together with UMNO and MCA in the 1955 election, had been expelled from their alliance for putting up a candidate in the 1957 Cairnhill by-election.
The current opposition party, People's Action Party, announced to contest 51 seats in the election; they released their election manifesto entitled "The Tasks Ahead", and outlined the party's five-year plan to address acute problems faced by Singapore. It called for a series of policies and programmes such as the provision of low-cost housing, the strengthening of education, as well as the development of industries thus improving employment opportunities for the local population. These were in addition to the goal of attaining independence for Singapore through a merger with the Federation of Malaya.
The PAP campaigned against corruption under the Lim Yew Hock government, and all party members and candidates wore a distinctive outfit of white shirts and pants (which is still the uniform of PAP candidates as of today) to represent "cleanliness" in government. SPA attempted to portray the PAP as a party being controlled by the communists, and such claims were repeated by Liberal Socialists and UMNO. Lee Kuan Yew brushed off the claims, describing them as "silly", "blabbering" and "lies".

## Timeline

| 31 March | Dissolution of 1st Legislative Assembly |
| 25 April | Nomination Day |
| 30 May | Polling Day |
| 5 June | Inauguration of the Cabinet with Lee Kuan Yew as inaugural Prime Minister |
| 1 July | Opening of 2nd Legislative Assembly |

## Changes to electoral boundaries

The 51 seats of the Legislative Assembly were elected from single-member constituencies, with an increase of 26 seats in this election. The changes among the constituencies were:
| Constituency Name | Changes |
| Aljunied | Carved out of Paya Lebar |
| Anson | Carved out of Tanjong Pagar |
| Bras Basah | Carved out of Stamford |
| Bukit Merah | Absorbed part of Queenstown & Tiong Bahru |
| Chua Chu Kang | Carved out of Bukit Panjang |
| Crawford | Carved out of Rochore |
| Delta | Carved out of Havelock |
| Geylang East | Carved out of Geylang |
| Geylang Serai | Carved out of Ulu Bedok |
| Geylang West | Carved out of Geylang |
| Hong Lim | Carved out of Telok Ayer |
| Jalan Besar | Carved out of Kampong Kapor |
| Jalan Kayu | Carved out of Seletar |
| Joo Chiat | Carved out of Katong |
| Jurong | Carved out of Bukit Timah |
| Kallang | Absorbed part of Kampong Kapor & Whampoa |
| Kampong Glam | Carved out of Rochore |
| Kampong Kembangan | Carved out of Ulu Bedok |
| Kreta Ayer | Carved out of Telok Ayer |
| Moulmein | Carved out of Farrer Park |
| Mountbatten | Carved out of Katong |
| Nee Soon | Absorbed part of Seletar & Sembawang |
| Punggol | Carved out of Punggol–Tampines |
| River Valley | Absorbed part of Cairnhill & Tanglin |
| Sepoy Lines | Carved out of Tiong Bahru |
| Serangoon Gardens | Absorbed part of Serangoon & Seletar |
| Siglap | Absorbed part of Changi & Katong |
| Tampines | Carved out of Punggol–Tampines |
| Telok Blangah | Carved out of Pasir Panjang |
| Thomson | Absorbed part of Serangoon & Seletar |
| Toa Payoh | Carved out of Whampoa |
| Ulu Pandan | Carved out of Tanglin |
| Upper Serangoon | Absorbed part of Serangoon & Paya Lebar |

## Campaign

Many of the campaign issues surrounded the topic of government corruption and independence of Singapore, as well as political issues such as the communist insurgency led by the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), which had been causing the Malayan Emergency. The desire for independence and self-government epitomised by the Malay term Merdeka (which translates to Independence or Free), had started to become immediate. This was reflected when the cry of "We want Merdeka now!" was taken up by those demanding immediate independence.
Prior to the polling day, the press had predicted that the presence of multi-cornered fights would only split the anti-PAP vote, raising chances of a PAP victory.

### Chew Swee Kee affair

The Chew Swee Kee affair was also a notable issue raised in the May 1959 elections. In February 1959, PAP charged the incumbent SPA government with receiving political funds from the United States government. Investigations by a Commission of Inquiry later revealed that Chew Swee Kee, who was then Education Minister, had converted the alleged funds for his own use. The claim has it that Chew accepted around $700,000 to $800,000 from an unrevealed donor in New York City as a "political gift".
Chew promptly stepped down from his post on 4 March 1959. The incident is credited for causing the SPA's downfall. The revelation had a devastating effect on the image of SPA as the party was seen to be serving a Western power, betraying Singapore's anti-colonial movement.

## Results

The result was a landslide win for the PAP, with the SPA lost 35 of the 39 contested constituencies and only four members represented the new Assembly, while both the Labour Front and its right-wing coalition party, the Liberal Socialist Party (which formed by a merger of the Democratic Party and Progressive Party) saw disastrous performances and neither party won seats; a total of 73 candidates (including 20 LSP candidates) lost their $500 election deposit.
PAP candidate Wong Soon Fong was the best performing candidate in this election in percentage terms, polling 77.66% while LSP candidate Lillian Tan was the worst performing candidate polling 0.82%. In absolute numbers, PAP's Goh Keng Swee was the best performing candidate polling 9,313 votes while LSP's Lillian Tan was the worst performing candidate polling 64 votes. The River Valley constituency had the narrowest winning margin in Singaporean elections to date, with the PAP's Lim Cheng Lock winning the election by just five votes (0.05%) against the runner-up SPA's Soh Ghee Soon.
The elections, which saw implementations of compulsory voting and the removal of suffrage restrictions, saw a huge increase in voter turnout, with 90.07% of voters voting (or 527,919 of the 586,098 registered voters), compared to 52.66% from the previous election.
| | People's Action Party | 281,891 | 54.08 | 43 | +40 |
| | Singapore People's Alliance | 107,755 | 20.67 | 4 | New |
| | Liberal Socialist Party | 42,805 | 8.21 | 0 | –6 |
| | United Malays National Organisation | 27,448 | 5.27 | 3 | +2 |
| | Malayan Chinese Association | 5,593 | 1.07 | 0 | –1 |
| | Workers' Party | 4,127 | 0.79 | 0 | New |
| | Labour Front | 3,414 | 0.65 | 0 | –10 |
| | Citizens' Party | 3,210 | 0.62 | 0 | New |
| | Malay Union | 2,819 | 0.54 | 0 | –1 |
| | Malayan Indian Congress | 2,092 | 0.40 | 0 | New |
| | Partai Rakyat | 2,006 | 0.38 | 0 | New |
| | Katong United Residents' Association | 1,759 | 0.34 | 0 | New |
| | Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party | 1,011 | 0.19 | 0 | New |
| | Independents | 35,341 | 6.78 | 1 | –2 |
| Total | Total | 521,271 | 100.00 | 51 | +26 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 521,271 | 98.74 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 6,648 | 1.26 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 527,919 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 586,098 | 90.07 | | |
| Source: Singapore Elections ||||||

### By constituency

| Constituency | Electorate | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Aljunied | 13,255 | People's Action Party | S. V. Lingam | 5,701 | 49.40 |
| Aljunied | 13,255 | Liberal Socialist Party | E. H. Holloway | 5,004 | 43.36 |
| Aljunied | 13,255 | Partai Rakyat | Tang Yoong Chiaw | 835 | 7.24 |
| Anson | 9,921 | People's Action Party | Baharudin bin Mohamed Ariff | 5,167 | 60.75 |
| Anson | 9,921 | Singapore People's Alliance | Goh Kong Beng | 1,875 | 22.04 |
| Anson | 9,921 | Liberal Socialist Party | Tan Cheng Chuan | 1,231 | 14.47 |
| Anson | 9,921 | Independent | Wong Swee Kee | 117 | 1.38 |
| Anson | 9,921 | Independent | P. Krishanan | 116 | 1.36 |
| Bras Basah | 11,193 | People's Action Party | Hoe Puay Choo | 6,014 | 63.25 |
| Bras Basah | 11,193 | Liberal Socialist Party | Foo Ho Fang | 1,993 | 20.96 |
| Bras Basah | 11,193 | Singapore People's Alliance | Goh Hin Shong | 1,501 | 15.79 |
| Bukit Merah | 11,286 | People's Action Party | Sellappa Ramaswamy | 5,922 | 59.09 |
| Bukit Merah | 11,286 | Singapore People's Alliance | Teo Cheng Hye | 3,026 | 30.20 |
| Bukit Merah | 11,286 | Independent | Lee Choon Eng | 1,073 | 10.71 |
| Bukit Panjang | 11,984 | People's Action Party | Lee Khoon Choy | 6,156 | 58.31 |
| Bukit Panjang | 11,984 | Liberal Socialist Party | Tan Leong Teck | 2,494 | 23.62 |
| Bukit Panjang | 11,984 | Singapore People's Alliance | Lim Siak Guan | 1,382 | 13.09 |
| Bukit Panjang | 11,984 | Malayan Indian Congress | T. K. Alexander | 526 | 4.98 |
| Bukit Timah | 11,285 | People's Action Party | Yaacob bin Mohamed | 6,174 | 61.14 |
| Bukit Timah | 11,285 | Liberal Socialist Party | Pek Cheng Chuan | 2,460 | 24.36 |
| Bukit Timah | 11,285 | Independent | Lee Yew Seng | 1,464 | 14.50 |
| Cairnhill | 12,239 | Singapore People's Alliance | Lim Yew Hock | 5,275 | 48.22 |
| Cairnhill | 12,239 | Workers' Party | David Marshall | 2,920 | 26.69 |
| Cairnhill | 12,239 | People's Action Party | Md. Oh Su Chen | 2,262 | 20.68 |
| Cairnhill | 12,239 | Liberal Socialist Party | Tan Keng Siong | 483 | 4.41 |
| Changi | 11,199 | People's Action Party | Teo Hock Guan | 3,480 | 35.10 |
| Changi | 11,199 | United Malays National Organisation | A. B. Rahman H. M. Said | 2,818 | 28.43 |
| Changi | 11,199 | Independent | Lim Cher Kheng | 2,225 | 22.45 |
| Changi | 11,199 | Liberal Socialist Party | Wee Tin Teck | 1,024 | 10.33 |
| Changi | 11,199 | Malay Union | Fatimah Nor Bt. G. S. | 366 | 3.69 |
| Chua Chu Kang | 6,889 | People's Action Party | Ong Chang Sam | 3,536 | 56.29 |
| Chua Chu Kang | 6,889 | Independent | Neo Koon Hin | 1,563 | 24.88 |
| Chua Chu Kang | 6,889 | Singapore People's Alliance | Goh Tong Liang | 1,183 | 18.83 |
| Crawford | 12,031 | People's Action Party | Kenneth Michael Byrne | 7,120 | 66.57 |
| Crawford | 12,031 | Singapore People's Alliance | Teng Ling Siong | 2,487 | 23.25 |
| Crawford | 12,031 | Liberal Socialist Party | Chua Seng Kian | 897 | 8.39 |
| Crawford | 12,031 | Independent | Sim John | 191 | 1.79 |
| Delta | 14,954 | People's Action Party | Chan Choy Siong | 9,301 | 69.45 |
| Delta | 14,954 | Malayan Chinese Association | Chia Chee Buang | 1,212 | 9.05 |
| Delta | 14,954 | Liberal Socialist Party | Lim Ah Lee | 2,308 | 17.23 |
| Delta | 14,954 | Singapore People's Alliance | Munusamy Nadarajah | 571 | 4.27 |
| Farrer Park | 10,293 | Independent | Arumugam Ponnu Rajah | 4,077 | 44.52 |
| Farrer Park | 10,293 | People's Action Party | Tan Teck Ngiap | 3,832 | 41.85 |
| Farrer Park | 10,293 | Independent | Soo-Tho Sin Hee | 789 | 8.62 |
| Farrer Park | 10,293 | Independent | Chan Kooi Chew | 311 | 3.40 |
| Geylang East | 15,562 | People's Action Party | Mohamed Ismail bin Abdul Rahim | 7,153 | 51.95 |
| Geylang East | 15,562 | Singapore People's Alliance | Ng Cheng Chwee | 5,775 | 41.94 |
| Geylang East | 15,562 | Independent | Mak Pak Shee | 842 | 6.11 |
| Geylang Serai | 14,447 | United Malays National Organisation | Abdul Hamid Jumat | 7,940 | 63.09 |
| Geylang Serai | 14,447 | People's Action Party | Roshan bin Hassan | 3,832 | 30.45 |
| Geylang Serai | 14,447 | Pan-Malayan Islamic Party | Syed Ahmad Dahlan | 460 | 3.66 |
| Geylang Serai | 14,447 | Partai Rakyat | Harun bin Mohamed Amin | 353 | 2.80 |
| Geylang West | 15,570 | People's Action Party | Yong Nyuk Lin | 8,923 | 67.60 |
| Geylang West | 15,570 | Singapore People's Alliance | Kwek Sam Hock | 4,276 | 32.40 |
| Havelock | 15,909 | People's Action Party | Lau Peter | 9,227 | 63.60 |
| Havelock | 15,909 | Independent | Ng See Thong | 3,562 | 24.55 |
| Havelock | 15,909 | Singapore People's Alliance | Tan Theng Chiang | 963 | 6.64 |
| Havelock | 15,909 | Malayan Chinese Association | K. S. Loke | 433 | 2.98 |
| Havelock | 15,909 | Liberal Socialist Party | Tan Ah Pak | 323 | 2.23 |
| Hong Lim | 12,667 | People's Action Party | Ong Eng Guan | 8,834 | 77.02 |
| Hong Lim | 12,667 | Malayan Chinese Association | Loh Ngian Lim | 1,192 | 10.39 |
| Hong Lim | 12,667 | Liberal Socialist Party | Tan Hong Chye | 856 | 7.46 |
| Hong Lim | 12,667 | Singapore People's Alliance | Sim Wee Teck | 588 | 5.13 |
| Jalan Besar | 13,877 | People's Action Party | Chan Chee Seng | 7,600 | 62.48 |
| Jalan Besar | 13,877 | Singapore People's Alliance | Wong Yew Hon | 2,573 | 21.15 |
| Jalan Besar | 13,877 | Liberal Socialist Party | Lo Ka Fat | 1,488 | 12.23 |
| Jalan Besar | 13,877 | Labour Front | See Eng Kiat | 503 | 4.14 |
| Jalan Kayu | 8,690 | People's Action Party | Tan Cheng Tong | 4,837 | 62.28 |
| Jalan Kayu | 8,690 | Singapore People's Alliance | M. P. D. Nair | 2,929 | 37.72 |
| Joo Chiat | 15,257 | Singapore People's Alliance | C. H. Koh | 6,136 | 45.87 |
| Joo Chiat | 15,257 | People's Action Party | Fong Kim Heng | 5,301 | 39.63 |
| Joo Chiat | 15,257 | Liberal Socialist Party | Gay Wan Guay | 1,215 | 9.08 |
| Joo Chiat | 15,257 | Katong United Residents' Association | Low Teck Cheng | 405 | 3.03 |
| Joo Chiat | 15,257 | Independent | Henry Chong | 320 | 2.39 |
| Jurong | 7,176 | People's Action Party | Chor Yeok Eng | 4,502 | 70.67 |
| Jurong | 7,176 | Singapore People's Alliance | Wong Tuck Leong | 1,325 | 20.80 |
| Jurong | 7,176 | Liberal Socialist Party | Chia Yeck Poh | 375 | 5.89 |
| Jurong | 7,176 | Malay Union | Aman B. H. Subri | 168 | 2.64 |
| Kallang | 12,939 | People's Action Party | Buang bin Omar Junid | 5,690 | 48.18 |
| Kallang | 12,939 | Singapore People's Alliance | Tan Hai Tong | 4,967 | 42.05 |
| Kallang | 12,939 | Citizens' Party | Seah Peng Chuan | 1,154 | 7.18 |
| Kampong Glam | 10,934 | People's Action Party | S. Rajaratnam | 6,324 | 65.27 |
| Kampong Glam | 10,934 | Singapore People's Alliance | Mahmood Latiff | 1,747 | 18.03 |
| Kampong Glam | 10,934 | Liberal Socialist Party | Ong Eng Lian | 1,377 | 14.21 |
| Kampong Glam | 10,934 | Independent | Wu Shiaw | 241 | 2.49 |
| Kampong Kapor | 12,736 | People's Action Party | G. Kandasamy | 6,059 | 54.27 |
| Kampong Kapor | 12,736 | Singapore People's Alliance | Chia Ban Wei | 3,632 | 32.53 |
| Kampong Kapor | 12,736 | Independent | Jaganathan S | 711 | 6.37 |
| Kampong Kapor | 12,736 | Independent | Choo Yeok Koon | 432 | 3.87 |
| Kampong Kapor | 12,736 | Citizens' Party | Yen Jen San | 330 | 2.96 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 13,007 | United Malays National Organisation | Mohd. Ali b. Alwi | 4,443 | 38.86 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 13,007 | People's Action Party | Othman Wok | 4,199 | 36.73 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 13,007 | Singapore People's Alliance | Mohd. b. Hj. Yacob | 2,028 | 17.74 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 13,007 | Pan-Malayan Islamic Party | H. M. Yahiya | 317 | 2.77 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 13,007 | Partai Rakyat | A. Latiff b. Ibrahim | 231 | 2.02 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 13,007 | Malay Union | Jaffar b. Abdul Ghani | 215 | 1.88 |
| Kreta Ayer | 14,173 | People's Action Party | Goh Keng Swee | 9,313 | 73.35 |
| Kreta Ayer | 14,173 | Liberal Socialist Party | Pang Man Ming | 3,384 | 26.65 |
| Moulmein | 10,095 | People's Action Party | Lin You Eng | 4,324 | 47.25 |
| Moulmein | 10,095 | Singapore People's Alliance | Yap Jin Yau | 3,955 | 43.22 |
| Moulmein | 10,095 | Liberal Socialist Party | Tan Peng Khoo | 872 | 9.53 |
| Mountbatten | 10,212 | Singapore People's Alliance | Chua Seng Kim | 3,031 | 33.71 |
| Mountbatten | 10,212 | People's Action Party | Tay Kum Sun | 2,143 | 23.84 |
| Mountbatten | 10,212 | Malayan Chinese Association | Wong Foo Nam | 1,903 | 21.17 |
| Mountbatten | 10,212 | Katong United Residents' Association | Felice Leon-Soh | 1,354 | 15.06 |
| Mountbatten | 10,212 | Liberal Socialist Party | Wee Soo Bee | 559 | 6.22 |
| Nee Soon | 8,694 | People's Action Party | Sheng Nam Chin | 5,622 | 73.30 |
| Nee Soon | 8,694 | Singapore People's Alliance | Yap Chin Poh | 1,476 | 19.24 |
| Nee Soon | 8,694 | Liberal Socialist Party | Yong Nyuk Khoon | 572 | 7.46 |
| Pasir Panjang | 6,631 | People's Action Party | Tee Kim Leng | 2,123 | 36.00 |
| Pasir Panjang | 6,631 | Independent | H. J. C. Kulasingha | 1,884 | 31.95 |
| Pasir Panjang | 6,631 | United Malays National Organisation | Sukaimi bin Ibrahim | 1,704 | 28.90 |
| Pasir Panjang | 6,631 | Independent | S. T. V. Lingam | 186 | 3.15 |
| Paya Lebar | 12,089 | People's Action Party | Tan Kia Gan | 6,531 | 60.81 |
| Paya Lebar | 12,089 | Independent | Ong Chye Hock | 4,209 | 39.19 |
| Punggol | 9,893 | People's Action Party | Ng Teng Kian | 4,072 | 46.39 |
| Punggol | 9,893 | Singapore People's Alliance | Tan Jin Hong | 3,655 | 41.64 |
| Punggol | 9,893 | Liberal Socialist Party | Quah Heck Peck | 554 | 6.31 |
| Punggol | 9,893 | Independent | Tay Keng Hock | 497 | 5.66 |
| Queenstown | 10,634 | People's Action Party | Lee Siew Choh | 5,301 | 53.81 |
| Queenstown | 10,634 | Singapore People's Alliance | Chee Phui Hung | 3,732 | 37.88 |
| Queenstown | 10,634 | Independent | Lee Kim Chuan | 818 | 8.31 |
| River Valley | 10,594 | People's Action Party | Lim Cheng Lock | 3,430 | 36.55 |
| River Valley | 10,594 | Singapore People's Alliance | Soh Ghee Soon | 3,425 | 36.50 |
| River Valley | 10,594 | Liberal Socialist Party | E. K. Tan | 2,529 | 26.95 |
| Rochore | 12,436 | People's Action Party | Toh Chin Chye | 7,995 | 71.76 |
| Rochore | 12,436 | Singapore People's Alliance | K. C. Thomas | 2,212 | 19.85 |
| Rochore | 12,436 | Liberal Socialist Party | Tan Soo Wan | 934 | 8.39 |
| Sembawang | 8,859 | People's Action Party | Ahmad Ibrahim | 4,316 | 54.69 |
| Sembawang | 8,859 | Malayan Indian Congress | V. Jayaram | 1,566 | 19.84 |
| Sembawang | 8,859 | Singapore People's Alliance | Chew Seng | 1,084 | 13.74 |
| Sembawang | 8,859 | Liberal Socialist Party | Lau Sai Seng | 926 | 11.73 |
| Sepoy Lines | 10,347 | People's Action Party | Wee Toon Boon | 5,352 | 58.35 |
| Sepoy Lines | 10,347 | Singapore People's Alliance | Goh Su Chiang | 3,820 | 41.65 |
| Serangoon Gardens | 8,631 | People's Action Party | Leong Keng Seng | 3,843 | 48.93 |
| Serangoon Gardens | 8,631 | Singapore People's Alliance | Wee Eric Sian Beng | 2,764 | 35.19 |
| Serangoon Gardens | 8,631 | Malayan Chinese Association | Liao Ping | 853 | 10.86 |
| Serangoon Gardens | 8,631 | Labour Front | Victor Louis Fernandez | 330 | 4.20 |
| Serangoon Gardens | 8,631 | Liberal Socialist Party | Lilian Tan | 64 | 0.82 |
| Siglap | 14,693 | People's Action Party | Sahorah bte Ahmat | 4,407 | 34.34 |
| Siglap | 14,693 | Independent | Koh Tee Kin | 3,408 | 26.56 |
| Siglap | 14,693 | Liberal Socialist Party | John Snodgrass | 1,511 | 11.78 |
| Siglap | 14,693 | United Malays National Organisation | Inche Sidik | 1,418 | 11.05 |
| Siglap | 14,693 | Independent | Abdullah Masood | 1,267 | 9.87 |
| Siglap | 14,693 | Partai Rakyat | Pang Toon Tin | 587 | 4.57 |
| Siglap | 14,693 | Pan-Malayan Islamic Party | A. Wanjor | 234 | 1.83 |
| Southern Islands | 5,325 | United Malays National Organisation | Ahmad Jabri B. M. Akib | 2,598 | 53.73 |
| Southern Islands | 5,325 | People's Action Party | Kum Teng Hock | 1,225 | 25.34 |
| Southern Islands | 5,325 | Liberal Socialist Party | Ismail Haji Hussain | 1,012 | 20.93 |
| Stamford | 12,392 | People's Action Party | Fung Yin Ching | 5,372 | 49.18 |
| Stamford | 12,392 | Singapore People's Alliance | J. M. Jumabhoy | 3,810 | 34.88 |
| Stamford | 12,392 | Workers' Party | Ang Meng Gee | 925 | 8.47 |
| Stamford | 12,392 | Liberal Socialist Party | Hooi Beng Guan | 679 | 6.22 |
| Stamford | 12,392 | Independent | Wong Chee Lim | 136 | 1.25 |
| Tampines | 11,468 | People's Action Party | Goh Chew Chua | 7,461 | 73.27 |
| Tampines | 11,468 | Singapore People's Alliance | Ong Phi Hok | 2,041 | 20.04 |
| Tampines | 11,468 | Independent | Lim Choo Ten | 681 | 6.69 |
| Tanglin | 9,127 | Singapore People's Alliance | Thio Chan Bee | 2,698 | 34.41 |
| Tanglin | 9,127 | United Malays National Organisation | Ahmad b. Hj. Taff | 2,386 | 30.44 |
| Tanglin | 9,127 | People's Action Party | Ibrahim bin Othman | 2,360 | 30.11 |
| Tanglin | 9,127 | Liberal Socialist Party | Chan Ah Wing | 395 | 5.04 |
| Tanjong Pagar | 11,939 | People's Action Party | Lee Kuan Yew | 7,617 | 71.04 |
| Tanjong Pagar | 11,939 | Liberal Socialist Party | C. Subramanyam | 3,105 | 28.96 |
| Telok Ayer | 13,998 | People's Action Party | Ong Pang Boon | 8,372 | 67.38 |
| Telok Ayer | 13,998 | Singapore People's Alliance | Tan Kian Kee | 2,106 | 16.95 |
| Telok Ayer | 13,998 | Independent | Tay Soo Yong | 1,660 | 13.36 |
| Telok Ayer | 13,998 | Citizens' Party | Soh Teck Chee | 287 | 2.31 |
| Telok Blangah | 13,202 | People's Action Party | John Mammen | 5,803 | 50.41 |
| Telok Blangah | 13,202 | United Malays National Organisation | Osman Gani | 4,141 | 35.97 |
| Telok Blangah | 13,202 | Citizens' Party | Wee Kim Hock | 1,230 | 10.69 |
| Telok Blangah | 13,202 | Independent | V. Mariappan | 337 | 2.93 |
| Thomson | 10,067 | People's Action Party | S.T. Bani | 4,978 | 54.63 |
| Thomson | 10,067 | Labour Front | Francis Thomas | 2,581 | 28.33 |
| Thomson | 10,067 | Singapore People's Alliance | Yap Chin Choon | 1,553 | 17.04 |
| Tiong Bahru | 12,151 | People's Action Party | Lee Teck Him | 5,175 | 47.66 |
| Tiong Bahru | 12,151 | Singapore People's Alliance | Lin Wo Ling | 2,182 | 20.09 |
| Tiong Bahru | 12,151 | Independent | William Tan | 1,730 | 15.93 |
| Tiong Bahru | 12,151 | Liberal Socialist Party | Lee Bah Chee | 996 | 9.17 |
| Tiong Bahru | 12,151 | Independent | Lim Huan Seng | 494 | 4.55 |
| Tiong Bahru | 12,151 | Workers' Party | Chua Chin Kiat | 282 | 2.60 |
| Toa Payoh | 12,551 | People's Action Party | Wong Soon Fong | 8,693 | 77.66 |
| Toa Payoh | 12,551 | Singapore People's Alliance | Lee Poh Chee | 2,500 | 22.34 |
| Ulu Pandan | 11,017 | People's Action Party | Mohd. Ariff bin Suradi | 4,420 | 45.44 |
| Ulu Pandan | 11,017 | Singapore People's Alliance | Leslie Rayner | 3,100 | 31.87 |
| Ulu Pandan | 11,017 | Independent | S. Khalaff | 1,083 | 11.13 |
| Ulu Pandan | 11,017 | Independent | Low Boon Kiat | 361 | 3.71 |
| Ulu Pandan | 11,017 | Independent | Anthony Ponnusamy | 296 | 3.04 |
| Ulu Pandan | 11,017 | Liberal Socialist Party | M. Karthigesu | 284 | 2.92 |
| Ulu Pandan | 11,017 | Independent | Chua Kim Toh | 183 | 1.89 |
| Upper Serangoon | 11,279 | People's Action Party | Chan Sun Wing | 4,497 | 45.06 |
| Upper Serangoon | 11,279 | Singapore People's Alliance | Lim Choon Mong | 4,372 | 43.81 |
| Upper Serangoon | 11,279 | Liberal Socialist Party | Sim Cho Lang | 901 | 9.03 |
| Upper Serangoon | 11,279 | Citizens' Party | Tan Choon Teng | 209 | 2.10 |
| Source: ELD, Singapore Elections |||||||

## Aftermath

The PAP was able to form a new government which could now adopt domestic policy without oversight from the colonial administration. The United Kingdom still however controlled the military forces, foreign affairs and had a joint responsibility in internal security under agreement. However, historians saw 1959 as the year Singapore achieved self-governance as a result of the new government, even though the Constitution had been amended in 1958.
On the afternoon of 5 June, Lee Kuan Yew was sworn in as the first Prime Minister at City Hall by Yang di Pertuan Negara William Goode along with members of his cabinet.
Before taking over, Lee pardoned several PAP members, who had been arrested under the Emergency Regulation in 1956 and 1957, including left-wing leader Lim Chin Siong. During the election campaign, Lee had called for pardon as part of his election platform, causing an increase of morale of many trade union members.
After their release, Lim and his affiliates would later challenge Lee's leadership in the PAP, leading to the expulsion of most of the left-wing members from the PAP in 1961. The expelled members would then form the Barisan Sosialis, and posed a strong challenge against the PAP on the next election in 1963; although being crippled by Operation Coldstore, they came closer to removing the PAP from power than any other party to date.

### By-elections

Two by-elections, both held in 1961, occurred during the term in Parliament. Former PAP minister Ong Eng Guan was re-elected in Hong Lim running as an independent after leaving the PAP, whilst David Marshall was elected in Anson after the death of PAP MP Baharuddin Mohammed Ariff.