# 1980 Singaporean general election

General elections were held in Singapore on 23 December 1980. The result was a victory for the People's Action Party, which won all 75 seats, the last of four consecutive elections in which they repeated the feat. Voter turnout was 95%, although this figure represents the turnout in the 38 constituencies to be contested, with PAP candidates earning walkovers in the other 37. 685,141 voters out of the total electorate of 1,290,426 went to vote on the elections.

## Background

Prior to this election, a series of by-elections were held in 1977 and 1979 after two and seven MPs, respectively, were vacated; however, the ruling PAP won every seat, allowing nine new candidates, which include Devan Nair and Tony Tan (both would later go on to become Presidents of Singapore) to enter Parliament. During the election, PAP also introduced a few other prominent members, such as future ministers Lee Yock Suan and S. Jayakumar, as well as a backbencher (and later Progress Singapore Party secretary-general and a 2011 presidential candidate) Tan Cheng Bock.
On 2 April, then-President of National Trades Union Congress, Phey Yew Kok, resigned his Boon Teck seat after Phey was initially charged from a funding fraud of trade union funds, and left Singapore to avoid a bail; however, Lee chose not to call a by-election in his place since the current Parliament term was due to end. In turn, the 1980 election and its campaign fell exactly four years after the precedent.
Singapore Democratic Party was established on 8 September by independent candidate Chiam See Tong, who made his political debut in the previous election. This was also the first election since independence without any independent candidates contesting, which would not recur again until 2006 and 2011.

## Timeline

| Date | Event |
| 5 December | Dissolution of 4th Parliament |
| 13 December | Nomination Day |
| 23 December | Polling Day |
| 3 February 1981 | Opening of 5th Parliament |

## Campaign

The school streaming system, as well as Phey's fraud, became highlights of the campaign for the election.
A total of 43 opposition candidates went on to contest in 38 constituencies, which was nearly half of the total, with United People's Front representing the most number of candidates at 14. This was the first election (of the only three in history, with the other being 2006 and 2011) none of the candidates ran as Independents.
This is the first election in Singapore to feature Party political broadcasts, a televised program hosted by Singapore Broadcast Corporation (now called Mediacorp) where political parties (who field at least six candidates under a recognised party symbol) are eligible for airtime on free-to-air radio and television. The number of candidates fielded determines how much airtime that party are allocated with, with a minimum two minutes for a party with six candidates, and the order is determined on the party with the fewest seats first and lot-drawing (if there are multiple parties with similar seats). Prior to broadcast, participating parties were required to send five copies of their manifestos to SBC. The two broadcasts were held on 17 and 22 December. The United Front and the Workers' Party, both with eight seats, came the first two with a 3-minute airtime each. This was followed by United People's Front, 14 seats with a 3.5-minute airtime. People's Action Party, who contested every 75 seats, presented last with a 12-minute broadcast.

## Constituencies

Similar to previous elections, constituencies were either dissolved or created due to population. The constituencies which saw changes were:
| Constituency | Changes |
| New Constituencies ||
| Ayer Rajah Clementi West Coast | Carved from Bukit Timah |
| Cheng San Chong Boon | Carved from Serangoon Gardens |
| Kaki Bukit | Carved from Kampong Chai Chee |
| Kebun Baru Yio Chu Kang | Carved from Ang Mo Kio |
| Tanah Merah | Carved from Bedok and Changi |
| Defunct Constituencies ||
| Farrer Park | Ward was absorbed to Moulmein and Cairnhill |
| Geylang East | Ward was absorbed to Geylang Serai |
| Upper Serangoon | Ward was absorbed to Serangoon Gardens and Paya Lebar |

## Results

| | People's Action Party | 494,268 | 77.66 | +3.57 | 75 | +6 |
| | Workers' Party | 39,590 | 6.22 | –5.33 | 0 | 0 |
| | United People's Front | 28,586 | 4.49 | +2.70 | 0 | 0 |
| | Singapore United Front | 27,522 | 4.32 | –2.38 | 0 | 0 |
| | Barisan Sosialis | 16,488 | 2.59 | –0.60 | 0 | 0 |
| | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | 13,435 | 2.11 | +0.95 | 0 | 0 |
| | Singapore Democratic Party | 11,292 | 1.77 | New | 0 | New |
| | Singapore Justice Party | 5,271 | 0.83 | +0.18 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 636,452 | 100.00 | – | 75 | +6 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 636,452 | 97.27 | | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 17,843 | 2.73 | | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 654,295 | 100.00 | | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 1,290,426 | 95.50 | | | |
| Source: Nohlen et al., Singapore Elections |||||||

### By constituency

| Constituency | Electorate | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Alexandra | 18,163 | People's Action Party | Tan Soo Khoon | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Aljunied | 17,017 | People's Action Party | Chin Harn Tong | 13,313 | 84.59 |
| Aljunied | 17,017 | United Front | Sim Peng Kim | 2,425 | 15.41 |
| Ang Mo Kio | 22,542 | People's Action Party | Yeo Toon Chia | 17,436 | 81.99 |
| Ang Mo Kio | 22,542 | United People's Front | Ang Bee Lian | 3,830 | 18.01 |
| Anson | 15,077 | People's Action Party | Devan Nair | 11,564 | 84.10 |
| Anson | 15,077 | United People's Front | John Santhirasekaran P. M. Thevar | 2,187 | 15.90 |
| Ayer Rajah | 15,787 | People's Action Party | Tan Cheng Bock | 12,400 | 83.39 |
| Ayer Rajah | 15,787 | Singapore Justice Party | Suib bin Abdul Rahman | 2,470 | 16.61 |
| Bedok | 20,852 | People's Action Party | S. Jayakumar | 14,691 | 75.03 |
| Bedok | 20,852 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Zin | 3,527 | 18.01 |
| Bedok | 20,852 | United People's Front | Thomas Anthony Tay | 1,362 | 6.96 |
| Boon Lay | 21,317 | People's Action Party | Goh Chee Wee | 15,005 | 74.19 |
| Boon Lay | 21,317 | United Front | Tan Chee Kien | 5,220 | 25.81 |
| Boon Teck | 18,705 | People's Action Party | Liew Kok Pun | 11,917 | 68.14 |
| Boon Teck | 18,705 | Barisan Sosialis | Lee Siew Choh | 5,571 | 31.86 |
| Braddell Heights | 14,519 | People's Action Party | Lee Khoon Choy | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Brickworks | 13,054 | People's Action Party | Ahmad Mattar | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Bukit Batok | 18,275 | People's Action Party | Chai Chong Yii | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Bukit Ho Swee | 12,435 | People's Action Party | Seah Mui Kok | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Bukit Merah | 19,046 | People's Action Party | Lim Chee Onn | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Bukit Panjang | 23,305 | People's Action Party | Lee Yiok Seng | 18,510 | 87.03 |
| Bukit Panjang | 23,305 | United People's Front | Mohamed Sani bin Ahmad | 2,759 | 12.97 |
| Bukit Timah | 15,334 | People's Action Party | Chor Yeok Eng | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Buona Vista | 17,287 | People's Action Party | Ang Kok Peng | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Cairnhill | 18,133 | People's Action Party | Wong Kwei Cheong | 11,444 | 71.79 |
| Cairnhill | 18,133 | Singapore Democratic Party | Fok Tai Loy | 4,498 | 28.21 |
| Changi | 25,464 | People's Action Party | Teo Chong Tee | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Cheng San | 17,044 | People's Action Party | Lee Yock Suan | 12,312 | 75.89 |
| Cheng San | 17,044 | Workers' Party | Choong Chee Kwong | 3,911 | 24.11 |
| Chong Boon | 13,877 | People's Action Party | Rajagopal Sitaram Chandra Das | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Chua Chu Kang | 22,363 | People's Action Party | Tang See Chim | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Clementi | 15,129 | People's Action Party | Bernard Chen Tien Lap | 12,162 | 85.42 |
| Clementi | 15,129 | United People's Front | Singh Munjeet | 2,076 | 14.58 |
| Delta | 14,830 | People's Action Party | Yeo Choo Kok | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Geylang Serai | 19,962 | People's Action Party | Othman bin Haron Eusofe | 13,195 | 71.99 |
| Geylang Serai | 19,962 | United Front | Seow Khee Leng | 5,134 | 28.01 |
| Geylang West | 22,298 | People's Action Party | Teh Cheang Wan | 17,585 | 85.45 |
| Geylang West | 22,298 | United People's Front | Long bin Abdullah | 2,994 | 14.55 |
| Havelock | 12,524 | People's Action Party | Hon Sui Sen | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Henderson | 18,353 | People's Action Party | Lai Tha Chai | 13,363 | 77.42 |
| Henderson | 18,353 | Workers' Party | Lim Kang Chew | 3,897 | 22.58 |
| Jalan Besar | 15,058 | People's Action Party | Chan Chee Seng | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Jalan Kayu | 23,766 | People's Action Party | Hwang Soo Jin | 15,275 | 69.02 |
| Jalan Kayu | 23,766 | Workers' Party | Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair | 6,855 | 30.98 |
| Joo Chiat | 12,805 | People's Action Party | Yeoh Ghim Seng | 8,542 | 74.18 |
| Joo Chiat | 12,805 | Singapore Democratic Party | Soon Kia Seng | 2,973 | 25.82 |
| Jurong | 18,658 | People's Action Party | Ho Kah Leong | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Kaki Bukit | 21,318 | People's Action Party | Saidi Shariff | 14,550 | 72.32 |
| Kaki Bukit | 21,318 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Ibrahim bin Ariff | 4,072 | 20.24 |
| Kaki Bukit | 21,318 | United People's Front | Atim bin Ismail | 1,496 | 7.44 |
| Kallang | 16,222 | People's Action Party | S. Dhanabalan | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Kampong Chai Chee | 20,237 | People's Action Party | Fong Sip Chee | 15,421 | 81.22 |
| Kampong Chai Chee | 20,237 | United Front | Leong Yew Thong | 3,565 | 18.78 |
| Kampong Glam | 17,241 | People's Action Party | S. Rajaratnam | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Kampong Kembangan | 15,854 | People's Action Party | Mohd Mansor bin Sukaimi | 11,194 | 78.74 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 15,854 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Jamal bin Idris | 3,023 | 21.26 |
| Kampong Ubi | 16,250 | People's Action Party | Wan Hussin bin Zoohri | 11,102 | 73.87 |
| Kampong Ubi | 16,250 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Sahid bin Sahooman | 2,813 | 18.72 |
| Kampong Ubi | 16,250 | United People's Front | Shaikh Ahmad bin Shaikh Salim | 1,113 | 7.41 |
| Katong | 12,041 | People's Action Party | Joseph Francis De Conceicao | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Kebun Baru | 17,709 | People's Action Party | Lim Boon Heng | 13,632 | 82.83 |
| Kebun Baru | 17,709 | United Front | Lim Tiong Hock | 1,883 | 11.44 |
| Kebun Baru | 17,709 | United People's Front | Jantan bin Taib | 943 | 5.73 |
| Khe Bong | 15,425 | People's Action Party | Ho See Beng | 10,497 | 72.42 |
| Khe Bong | 15,425 | Barisan Sosialis | Sim Say Chuan | 3,998 | 27.58 |
| Kim Keat | 20,781 | People's Action Party | Ong Teng Cheong | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Kim Seng | 14,734 | People's Action Party | Yeo Ning Hong | 11,109 | 80.55 |
| Kim Seng | 14,734 | Workers' Party | Seow Yong Chew | 2,682 | 19.45 |
| Kolam Ayer | 22,775 | People's Action Party | Sidek Saniff | 16,995 | 80.35 |
| Kolam Ayer | 22,775 | United Front | Mohamed Mansor bin Abdul Rahman | 4,155 | 19.65 |
| Kreta Ayer | 11,973 | People's Action Party | Goh Keng Swee | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Kuo Chuan | 17,471 | People's Action Party | Pathmanaban Selvadurai | 12,378 | 75.92 |
| Kuo Chuan | 17,471 | Barisan Sosialis | Sim Chit Giak | 3,925 | 24.08 |
| Leng Kee | 15,166 | People's Action Party | Ow Chin Hock | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| MacPherson | 18,997 | People's Action Party | Chua Sian Chin | 15,280 | 86.89 |
| MacPherson | 18,997 | United People's Front | Darus bin Shariff | 2,306 | 13.11 |
| Marine Parade | 21,903 | People's Action Party | Goh Chok Tong | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Moulmein | 16,999 | People's Action Party | Lawrence Sia | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Mountbatten | 14,045 | People's Action Party | Eugene Yap Giau Cheng | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Nee Soon | 16,817 | People's Action Party | Koh Lip Lin | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Pasir Panjang | 17,743 | People's Action Party | Abbas Abu Amin | 11,824 | 72.57 |
| Pasir Panjang | 17,743 | Workers' Party | Zainul Abidin | 4,470 | 27.43 |
| Paya Lebar | 11,666 | People's Action Party | Sia Kah Hui | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Potong Pasir | 10,068 | People's Action Party | Howe Yoon Chong | 5,509 | 59.05 |
| Potong Pasir | 10,068 | Singapore Democratic Party | Chiam See Tong | 3,821 | 40.95 |
| Punggol | 23,333 | People's Action Party | Ng Kah Ting | 17,103 | 78.86 |
| Punggol | 23,333 | United Front | Chua Nguan Key | 4,585 | 21.14 |
| Queenstown | 17,450 | People's Action Party | Jek Yeun Thong | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Radin Mas | 18,854 | People's Action Party | Mohamed Kassim Abdul Jabbar | 11,335 | 64.07 |
| Radin Mas | 18,854 | Workers' Party | Wong Hong Toy | 6,356 | 35.93 |
| River Valley | 14,950 | People's Action Party | Tay Eng Soon | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Rochore | 14,705 | People's Action Party | Toh Chin Chye | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Sembawang | 17,785 | People's Action Party | Tony Tan | 13,415 | 81.55 |
| Sembawang | 17,785 | United People's Front | Harbans Singh | 3,035 | 18.45 |
| Serangoon Gardens | 16,973 | People's Action Party | Lau Teik Soon | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Siglap | 16,675 | People's Action Party | Abdul Rahim Ishak | 11,564 | 77.91 |
| Siglap | 16,675 | Workers' Party | Royston George Scharenguivel | 3,278 | 22.09 |
| Tampines | 18,982 | People's Action Party | Phua Bah Lee | 15,065 | 85.92 |
| Tampines | 18,982 | United People's Front | Kasim bin Ibrahim | 2,469 | 14.08 |
| Tanah Merah | 15,711 | People's Action Party | Lee Chiaw Meng | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Tanglin | 13,332 | People's Action Party | E. W. Barker | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Tanjong Pagar | 13,765 | People's Action Party | Lee Kuan Yew | 11,730 | 92.74 |
| Tanjong Pagar | 13,765 | United Front | Johnny Wee Lai Seng | 555 | 4.39 |
| Tanjong Pagar | 13,765 | United People's Front | Lee Mun Hung | 363 | 2.87 |
| Telok Ayer | 12,381 | People's Action Party | Ong Pang Boon | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Telok Blangah | 18,314 | People's Action Party | Rohan bin Kamis | 9,187 | 53.02 |
| Telok Blangah | 18,314 | Workers' Party | J. B. Jeyaratnam | 8,141 | 46.98 |
| Thomson | 14,786 | People's Action Party | Chau Sik Ting | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Tiong Bahru | 18,077 | People's Action Party | Ch'ng Jit Koon | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Toa Payoh | 13,799 | People's Action Party | Eric Cheong Yuen Chee | 9,872 | 76.73 |
| Toa Payoh | 13,799 | Barisan Sosialis | Ng Ho | 2,994 | 23.27 |
| Ulu Pandan | 22,048 | People's Action Party | Chiang Hai Ding | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| West Coast | 18,949 | People's Action Party | Wan Soon Bee | 15,185 | 84.43 |
| West Coast | 18,949 | Singapore Justice Party | Muthusamy Ramasamy | 2,801 | 15.57 |
| Whampoa | 19,131 | People's Action Party | Augustine Tan Hui Heng | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Yio Chu Kang | 14,012 | People's Action Party | Lau Ping Sum | 11,607 | 87.53 |
| Yio Chu Kang | 14,012 | United People's Front | Lachhu S. Piaro | 1,653 | 12.47 |
| Source: ELD |||||||