List of political parties in Singapore
This is a list of political parties in Singapore, including existing and historical ones. The earliest political parties were either branches of parent parties in Malaya, or were established in the lead-up to Singapore first Legislative Council elections in 1948. Amongst the oldest parties, the Malay Union, traced its history back to 14 May 1926, was initially a non-political association as the party only participated in the 1955 election. The Progressive Party and Labour Party, both established in the late 1940s, were some of the pioneering local establishments, with the PP the only party to contest in the first elections in 1948, and the LP coming on board in 1951. By 1955, the fledgling British colony had seven parties contesting, and reached a pinnacle of 13 parties in 1959. A total of three parties were established in the 1940s, 12 in the 1950s and five in the 1960s.
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In post-independence Singapore, the dominance of the People's Action Party, which first came into power in 1959, somewhat cooled the flurry of political activism. On 16 May 1960, a new Societies Ordinance was passed, and in December 1966, local parties were forbidden from being affiliated to foreign ones. This directly impacted the handful of small Malaysia-linked parties, most of which renamed themselves and/or cut formal foreign ties. The PAP's dominance and Singapore's economic advancement further weakened the smaller opposition parties. To date, 13 parties have officially dissolved, mostly through mergers with other parties.
Still, new parties continued to be established. Seven new parties were formed in the 1970s (including the Justice Party, Singapore and the United Front, the preprocessor of today's Democratic Progressive Party), two in the 1980s, two in the 1990s, three in the 2000s, and six in the 2010s. The newest party to be registered is Singapore United Party, on 24 December 2020.[1] There are therefore a total of 30 registered political parties today, of which ten have never contested in an election.
Over the years, alliances between political parties existed, but were however short-lived. Presently, only one functioning multi-party alliance, the Singapore Democratic Alliance, which was formed on 3 July 2001, initially composed of the Singapore People's Party (SPP), National Solidarity Party, Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura and the Justice Party, Singapore, with the SPP being the lead party. The vision was to bring all opposition parties under one banner to counter the PAP's dominance, but it was met with limited success. The NSP left the alliance in 2007, and in 2010, the SPP itself left when there was internal disagreements over the SPP's attempts to bring in the newly formed Reform Party.
Legislation
Under the current legislation, all political parties (termed "Political Associations") must be registered under the Societies Act. As such, the following rules pertaining to political associations apply:
- All members of political parties must be Singaporean citizens.
- Political Association must not be affiliated or connected with any organisation outside Singapore. The fact that a political association uses a name or symbol which is the same as that of an organisation outside Singapore shall be deemed to be sufficient evidence that the political association has an affiliation or connection with that organisation.
The government has the power to dissolve the party if it contravenes the above rules, or any other rule applicable to all forms of registered societies.
Under the Political Donations Act which came into force on 15 February 2001, Political Associations are also barred from accepting any donation in cash or kind from impermissible donors, or from anonymous donors where the value exceeds S$5,000. The government announced[2] that it was to "prevent foreigners from interfering in domestic politics through the financial support for any association's cause", and cited an example of a case in 1959 when S$700,000 was sent to Chew Swee Kee, then Education Minister from the Singapore People's Alliance by a "neighbouring intelligence service in a "black operation" against the interests of Singapore". Another case was also cited pertaining to foreign financial support for Francis Seow of the Workers' Party in 1988. Critics noted that the Singapore government itself was responsible for giving $20,000 to Australian political parties through (Singtel-owned) Optus,[3] although the motives and details of the donation remain unverified.
Political parties
There have been a total of 43 political parties (not including Malaysia's parties, those contested in both Malaysia and Singapore elections, or those which contested during Singapore's merger with Malaysia.) in Singapore.
Party or Alliance active
Party or Alliance active, but collated to another party or alliance
Party or Alliance dissolved
Party or Alliance registered, but is yet to contest
Party or Alliance's status unknown
Current Political Parties
| Party | Alternative name(s) | Established | Registered | Dissolved | Elections Contested 1 | Incumbent Leader | URL | Facebook URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 National Solidarity Party国民团结党 Parti Perpaduan Nasional |
NSP | 6 March 1987 | 6 March 1987 | NA | 8 (1988, 1991, 1997, 20013, 20063, 2011, 2015, 2020) | Spencer Ng Chung Hon | ||
 People's Action Party人民行动党 Parti Tindakan Rakyat |
PAP | 21 November 1954 | 18 February 1961 | NA | 16 (1955, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2020) | Lee Hsien Loong | ||
 Progress Singapore Party新加坡前进党 Parti Kemajuan Singapura |
PSP | 18 January 2019 | 28 March 2019 | NA | 1 (2020) | Tan Cheng Bock | ||
 People's Power Party人民力量党 Parti Kuasa Rakyat |
PPP | 15 May 2015 | 15 May 2015 | NA | 2 (2015, 2020) | Goh Meng Seng | ||
 Peoples Voice人民之声 Suara Rakyat |
PV | 29 October 2018 | 29 October 2018 | NA | 1 (2020) | Lim Tean | ||
 Red Dot United红点同心党 Titik Merah Bersatu |
RDU | 26 May 2020 | 15 June 2020 | NA | 1 (2020) | Ravi Philemon | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=logo} Reform Party革新党 Parti Reformasi |
RP | 3 July 2008 | 3 July 2008 | NA | 3 (2011, 2015, 2020) | Kenneth Jeyaretnam | ||
 Singapore Democratic Alliance新加坡民主联盟 Perikatan Demokratik Singapura |
SDA | 3 July 2001 | 3 July 2001 | NA | 5 (2001, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2020) | Desmond Lim Bak Chuan | ||
 Singapore People's Party新加坡人民党 Parti Rakyat Singapura |
SPP | 21 November 1994 | 21 November 1994 | NA | 6 (1997, 20014, 20064, 2011, 2015, 2020) | Steve Chia Kiah Hong | ||
 Democratic Progressive Party民主进步党 Parti Demokratik Progresif |
DPP | 16 March 1973 | 16 March 1973 | NA | (1976, 1980, 1984, 1997, 2015) | Mohamad Hamim bin Aliyas | ||
 Singapore Democratic Party新加坡民主党 Parti Demokratik Singapura |
SDP | 6 August 1980 | 8 September 1980 | NA | 10 (1980, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2020) | Chee Soon Juan | ||
| Singapore United Party | SUP | 24 December 2020 | 24 December 2020 | NA | Andy Zhu | |||
 Workers' Party工人党 Parti Pekerja |
WP | 3 November 1957 | 30 January 1961 | NA | 15 (1959, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2020) | Pritam Singh |
Past Political Parties
| Party | Alternative name(s) | Established | Registered | Dissolved | Elections Contested 1 | Incumbent Leader | URL | Facebook URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malay Union 新加坡马来人联合会 Kesatuan Melayu Singapura |
– | 14 May 1926 | – | 1961 | 2 (1955, 1959) | NA | ||
| Singapore National Front 新加坡国民阵线 Barisan Nasional Singapura |
– | – | 15 August 1991 | NA | 0 | NA | ||
 Singapore People's Alliance新加坡人民联盟 Perikatan Rakyat Singapura |
– | 10 November 1958 | – | 16 May 1965 | 1 (1959) | NA | ||
 United National Front联合国民阵线 Barisan Nasional Bersatu |
– | – | 6 March 1970 | NA | 1 (1972) | NA | ||
 United People's Front人民联合阵线 Barisan Rakyat Bersatu |
– | – | 20 March 1975 | NA | 4 (1976, 1980, 1984, 1988) | NA | ||
 United People's Party人民团结党 Parti Ra'ayat Bersatu |
– | – | 14 July 1961 | 1968 | 1 (1963) | NA | ||
| United Singapore Democrats 团结新加坡民主党 Demokrat Singapura Bersatu |
– | – | 25 March 2010 | NA | 0 | NA | ||
 Socialist Front社会主义阵线 Socialist Front |
– | – | 1 September 2010 | NA | 0 | NA | ||
 Singaporeans First国人为先 Warga Diutamakan |
– | 25 May 2014 | 19 August 2014 | 25 June 2020 | 1 (2015) | NA | ||
| Singapore Indian Congress 新加坡印度国民大会党 Kongres India Singapura |
Singapore Regional Indian Congress (1946–1953) Malayan Indian Congress (1953–1968) |
August 1946 | 7 August 1962 | NA | 1 (1959) | NA | ||
| People's Republican Party 人民共和党 Parti Rakyat Republik |
– | – | 30 August 1973 | NA | 0 | NA | ||
 Partai RakyatPeople's Party (Singapore State Division) 人民党 (新加坡州部) |
– | 11 November 1955 | 18 June 1962 | NA | 2 (1959, 1963) | NA | ||
| Singapore Alliance Party 新加坡联盟党 Parti Perikatan Singapura |
Singapore Alliance, Perikatan Singapura (1963–1965) | 30 May 1963 | 17 February 1966 | NA | 1 (1963) | NA | ||
 Angkatan IslamIslamic Movement 回教阵线 |
Pan-Malayan Islamic Party Persatuan Islam Setanah Melayu (1958–1967) |
– | 6 August 1958 | NA | 4 (1959, 1963, 1984, 1988) | NA | ||
 Barisan Sosialis社会主义阵线 |
– | 29 July 1961 | 13 August 1961 | 1988 | 5 (1963, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984) | NA | ||
 Citizens' Party公民党 Parti Warganegara |
– | 25 February 1959 | – | 13 September 1960 | 1 (1959) | NA | ||
 Democratic Party民主党 Parti Demokratik |
– | 11 February 1955 | – | 5 February 1956 | 1 (1955) | NA | ||
| United Front (1973–1982) Singapore United Front (1982–1991) |
16 March 1973 | NA | 6 (1976, 1980, 1984, 1997, 2001, 20152) | Mohamad Hamim Aliyas | ||||
| Justice Party 新加坡正义党 Parti Keadilan Singapura |
Singapore Justice Party (1976–1980) | – | 10 August 1972 | NA | 10 (1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1991, 20013, 20063, 20113, 20153, 20203) | Desmond Lim Bak Chuan | ||
 Katong United Residents' Association加东居民统一工会 Persatuan Penduduk Bersatu Katong |
– | 11 January 1959 | – | 23 June 1960 | 1 (1959) | NA | ||
 Labour Front劳工阵线 Barisan Buroh |
– | 21 August 1954 | – | 28 February 1960 | 2 (1955, 1959) | NA | ||
| Labour Party 劳工党 Parti Buroh |
– | 23 March 1948 | – | 1961 | 1 (1951) | NA | ||
 Liberal Socialist Party自由社会党 Parti Liberal Sosialis |
– | 5 February 1956 | 24 May 1961 | 10 September 1963 | 1 (1959) | NA | ||
| National Party of Singapore 新加坡国民党 Parti Nasional Singapura |
– | – | 26 February 1971 | NA | 0 | NA | ||
 People's Front人民阵线 Barisan Rakyat |
– | – | 21 May 1971 | NA | 2 (1972, 1976) | NA | ||
 Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu SingapuraSingapore Malay National Organisation 新加坡马来国民机构 |
Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu or United Malays National Organisation (1951–1967) |
23 December 1951 | 20 February 1961 | NA | 13 (1955, 1959, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1991, 20012, 20062, 20112, 20152, 20203) | Abu Mohamed | ||
| Parti Kesatuan Ra'ayat United Democratic Party 民主统一党 |
– | – | 18 June 1962 | NA | 1 (1963) | NA | ||
| People's Liberal Democratic Party 人民自由民主党 Parti Liberal Demokratik Rakyat |
– | – | 2 May 2006 | NA | 0 | NA | ||
| Persatuan Melayu Singapura Singapore Malays Association 新加坡马来人协会 |
– | – | 2 February 1952 | NA | 0 | NA | ||
 Progressive Party进步党 Parti Progresif |
– | 25 August 1947 | – | 10 May 1956 | 3 (1948, 1951, 1955) | NA | ||
| Singapore Congress 新加坡国民大会党 Kongres Singapura |
– | 9 May 1960 | – | 29 January 1962 | 0 | NA | ||
| Singapore Chinese Party 新加坡华人党 Parti Cina Singapura |
Malayan Chinese Association (1950–1967) | – | 26 September 1950 | NA | 3 (1955, 1959, 19724) | NA |
- ^ The tally does not include city council elections, by-elections, Malaysian parliamentary elections or presidential elections (the latter which requires nonpartisan candidacy).
- ^ The party was contested under the coalition of Singapore People's Party (SPP).
- ^ The party was contested under the coalition of Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA).
- ^ The party was contested under the coalition of United People's Front (UPF).
Other defunct parties
- Malayan Communist Party
- Malayan Democratic Union (dissolved in 1948)
- Singapore Socialist Party (merged to form Labour Front)
Shirt colours
The candidates and supporters of the various political parties tend to wear the following shirt colours while making their rounds in various wards or campaigning.
See also
References
- "Red Dot United gets approval for registration as political party, set to take part in coming GE". TODAYonline. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Mayne digs some donations data dirt". crikey.com.au. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
External links
Parenthesis indicate seats represented in the Parliament of Singapore | |||||
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Notes: *The MPs of the Progress Singapore Party are Non-Constituency MPs. † The party has yet to contest in an election.
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List of political parties in Asia | |
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| Sovereign states |
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| States with limited recognition | |
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