Elections in Singapore

Singapore holds elections under its Constitution and election laws. The two main national elections are parliamentary elections and Presidential Elections, which have different purposes. Parliamentary elections choose Members of Parliament. Parliament has elected constituencies that are organised as Single Member Constituencies, known as SMCs, and Group Representation Constituencies, known as GRCs. In an SMC, voters choose among individual candidates. In a GRC, voters choose a team, and the team represents the constituency if it wins; the system is designed to support minority representation in Parliament. The candidate or team with the most votes in a constituency wins under the usual first-past-the-post approach. Citizens normally vote for a person or team on the ballot, rather than allocating seats according to each party's national share of the vote. Political parties may contest constituencies, and independent candidates may also stand where the legal requirements are met. Parties publish messages and policies, candidates meet voters, and the campaign period allows competing choices to be presented. The Elections Department Singapore administers important parts of the electoral process. Election officials manage voter registration arrangements, polling operations, counting, and the formal declaration of results. The President is elected separately by Singapore citizens. The office is the head of state and has constitutional responsibilities that differ from the political leadership of the Cabinet, so a Presidential Election is not the same as choosing a government. After a parliamentary election, the person who can command the confidence of a majority in Parliament is appointed Prime Minister, and a government is formed. Elections therefore affect representation, legislation, public debate, and the direction of national administration.