General elections were held in Singapore on 6 May 2006 to elect members of Parliament. They were the twelfth general elections since the introduction of self-government in 1959 and the tenth since independence in 1965. President S.R. Nathan dissolved parliament on 20 April on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong three weeks before the election. Despite changes to electoral boundaries, the number of elected seats had remained unchanged at 84 from the previous election. This was the first election contested by Lee as prime minister, following his succession of Goh Chok Tong in 2004.
The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) achieved a landslide victory in the election, retaining its supermajority by winning all but two of the 84 parliamentary seats. However, its overall share of the popular vote fell to 67%. While they secured 37 seats uncontested on nomination day, this marked the first time since 1988 that the PAP was not returned to power by then. It was also the first election since 1968 in which every contest was a direct head-to-head race and the only one where no losing candidate forfeited their election deposit. This election was also notable for being the first to introduce overseas voting at selected Singaporean diplomatic missions.
Key issues in the election included employment, the rising cost of living, housing, transport, education, the need for an effective opposition presence in parliament and the overall quality of candidates. It was also the first election in which the internet played a significant role in campaigning among the general public. As of 2025, it remains the most recent election in which two opposition parties succeeded in electing at least one candidate in a constituency that excluded non-constituency seats (NCMPs) as well as the last election in which the ruling PAP won every group representation constituencies (GRCs).
Background The 2006 general election was the twelfth held since the introduction of self-government in 1959 and the tenth since Singapore's independence in 1965. The governing People's Action Party (PAP) aimed to secure its twelfth consecutive term in office since its first electoral victory in 1959. It was also the first general election led by Lee Hsien Loong as both Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the PAP, following his succession of Goh Chok Tong in 2004.
Political parties
Three opposition factions challenged PAP in the election, which include the largest opposition faction of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), led by Singapore People's Party (SPP)'s leader Chiam See Tong along with the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and two other smaller parties, alongside the Workers' Party (WP) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). SDP's leader Chee Soon Juan was ineligible to contest due to bankruptcy following a conviction in 2002 for defamation from the previous election. By Farah Abdul Rahim. The only party that did not contest this election was Democratic Progressive Party, where it became dormant in 2002.
Electorate All citizens at least 21 years of age, based on the Registers of Electors, were eligible to vote. Voting is compulsory. The Elections Department (ELD) had completed its revision of the Registers and made them available for public inspection from 17 January through 30 January 2006. There were 2,158,439 eligible voters.Press Release: Certification of Registers of Electors, 2006 (PDF) – Election Department, 17 February 2006. The 2006 election was the first election where more than half the electorate were born after Singapore's post-independence, specifically those of Generation X, and the first election in Singapore of any kind where Millennials (born those of 1980s) were part of the electorate.
For the first time in Singapore's election history, Singaporeans living overseas were able to vote at designated polling stations located within Singapore's diplomatic missions in other countries. To be qualified to vote overseas, they must have had either resided in Singapore for an aggregate of two of the past five years, or be overseas for reasons of employment or education related to the Singapore government. There were eight overseas polling stations, namely Tokyo, Canberra, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, London, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. 1,017 Singaporeans had registered for overseas voting by 22 March 2006, although only 558 voted, as the rest had a walkover in their home constituencies. Despite being the first election where overseas voting is featured, this rule was first enacted on 15 May 2001,By the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Act 2001 (No. 19 of 2001 ) which, according to the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Act (Commencement) Notification 2001 (S 272/2001 ), came into force on 15 May 2001. Overseas voting for presidential elections was effected by changes to the Presidential Elections Act which were made by the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Act 2001, s. 27 and the Sch. but it was unused in that year's election per safety reasons in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, nor the 2005 presidential election because of a walkover.
Electoral divisions
On 3 March 2006, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) published the updated list of electoral divisions. There were 14 Group Representation Constituencies (GRC), each with five or six seats, and nine Single Member Constituencies (SMC). The total number of seats remained the same at 84 as the previous general election in 2001, being the second election to do so (the first being 1991 where the number of seats (81) were unchanged).
The population growth of the new towns of Sengkang and Punggol saw the seats of Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC being expanded by one to six (although the electoral boundaries were untouched), while East Coast GRC was reduced by one seat to five following the changes of electorate in Bedok, while carving out Kaki Bukit to the neighbouring Marine Parade GRC; Marine Parade GRC's Serangoon (those of the northern parts of Serangoon and Serangoon Gardens) was redrawn to Aljunied GRC, and in exchange was the Kembangan areas. Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC was renamed to the present-day Holland–Bukit Timah GRC after taking in Bukit Timah SMC in exchange of carving out Bukit Panjang SMC, which last appeared in 1972; this change meant that this was the first election where the original constituencies in 1951 were absent in the map. Only one SMC had boundary changes, which was Nee Soon East; Yio Chu Kang was carved out as an SMC for the first time since 1988, while Ayer Rajah was subsumed into the neighbouring West Coast GRC.
Below here are the changes of boundaries for this election (the five GRCs of Bishan–Toa Payoh, Hong Kah, Jalan Besar, Jurong and Tampines were not listed as their boundaries were left untouched and the number of seats were the same): Constituency Changes Aljunied GRC Absorbed Serangoon division from Marine Parade GRCCarved out areas of Pan Island Expressway, Jalan Eunos and Sims Avenue East to Marine Parade GRCAljunied-Kembangan and Kembangan-Punggol were reorganised to form the Bedok Reservoir-Punggol division, while the rest were absorbed to Paya Lebar and Kampong Ubi-Kembangan of Marine Parade GRC Ang Mo Kio GRC Carved out Yio Chu Kang division into SMCJalan Kayu division was carved to include Sengkang West division East Coast GRC Ward downsized to five seatsCarved out portions of Kampong Chai Chee (including Bedok New Town and Bedok North Green), and Kaki Bukit division to Marine Parade GRC Holland–Bukit Timah GRC New ConstituencyFormed with Bukit Timah SMC and Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC (except for Bukit Panjang division, which was carved as a SMC) Marine Parade GRC Absorbed portions of Kembangan from Aljunied GRC, Kampong Chai Chee and Kaki Bukit divisions from East Coast GRC Kampong Ubi division was merged with Kembangan to form Kampong Ubi-KembanganCarved out Serangoon division to Aljunied GRC Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC Ward upsized to six seatsPunggol North and South divisions were split to include Punggol East division Sembawang GRC Carved out a portion of Yishun to Nee Soon East SMC Tanjong Pagar GRC Absorbed a portion of Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC West Coast GRC Absorbed Ayer Rajah SMC, with the SMC merged with West Coast division to form Ayer Rajah-West Coast.
Election issues As in previous elections, bread and butter issues including jobs, medical care and cost of living dominated the election campaign. Other major election issues are listed in the following.
Social Integrated Resorts and legalisation of casino gambling Education policy Public transport Public housing policy Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) Governance Progress package and Budget 2006 Group representation constituency system Central Provident Fund scheme Internal Security Act and increased civil liberties Ministerial pay Others National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal Integrity of the candidates, such as James Gomez and Steve Chia
Timeline Date Event 3 March Publication of Electoral Boundaries report 3 March Certification of Registers of Electors 20 April Dissolution of 10th Parliament; Writ of Election issued 23 April Deadline of Submission of Political Donation Certificates 27 April Nomination Day 27 April-5 May Campaigning Period 29 April First Live Political Party Broadcast 4 May Second Live Political Party Broadcast 6 May Polling Day 10 May Overseas Votes Counting 30 May 11th Parliament assembled 2 November Opening of 11th Parliament
Pre-nomination day events
Steve Chia controversy On 24 December 2003, Non-constituency Member of Parliament Steve Chia was investigated by the police after his wife, Doreen Chee, found nude photographs of him and his Indonesian domestic helper, both naked, on his computer. Chia admitted on his "hobby” and his actions, while the helper told the police that she had consented and was not forced into posing for the pictures, and thus Chia was not prosecuted. Nevertheless, the controversy saw Chia relinquishing his secretary-general position of the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and his membership for the Singapore Democratic Alliance's (SDA) executive council in 2005, though he remained as a member of the NSP until 2019.
Dissolution of Parliament On 20 April 2006, Parliament was dissolved by President Sellapan Ramanathan on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Later that day, the President issued the writ of election and the government announced that the election would be held on Saturday, 6 May 2006, with nomination day on Thursday, 27 April 2006. The Returning Officer for the election was Tan Boon Huat, Chief Executive Director of the People's Association, serving this role for the third consecutive general election.
New/outgoing candidates A total of 49 candidates made their debut this election such as Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Grace Fu, Lui Tuck Yew, Seah Kian Peng, Josephine Teo, Masagos Zulkifli and Zaqy Mohamad for the PAP, while WP introduced their party's chairwoman Sylvia Lim, as well as James Gomez (now SDP member) and Goh Meng Seng (who later founded the People's Power Party).
A total 24 candidates did not seek re-election, among which were former cabinet ministers Lee Yock Suan and former Speaker of Parliament Tan Soo Khoon, as well as future 2011 presidential election candidates Tan Cheng Bock, the founder of Progress Singapore Party, and Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and eventual President-elect Tony Tan.
Budget day and progress package On 17 February 2006, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who was also Minister for Finance and PAP's Secretary-General, delivered the country's annual Budget Statement to the Parliament. He released details of a S$2.6 billion "progress package" including S$500 million for Central Provident Fund top-ups, S$400 million for workfare bonuses, and S$200 million bonuses for national servicemen. Largely due to this package, the 2006 Budget incurred a deficit of S$2.86 billion.