Chamber:
	Parliament
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	3 November 2001
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for 84 seats in Parliament following the dissolution of this body. General elections had previously been held in January 1997.
Background and outcome of elections:
	On 18 October 2001, the Government announced that a general election would be held on 3 November 2001, even though it was not due until August 2002. Analysts believed the government wanted to hold the polls before the economy slipped deeper into recession. Singaporeans were called on to choose the 84 elected members of the Parliament. Nevertheless, with 55 seats already in the bag for the Peoples' Action Party (PAP) of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on Nomination Day, as the opposition failed to field candidates, the election was to decide who would pick up the remaining 29 seats. The electoral campaign was dominated by the worst economic recession in 37 years and rising security concerns stemming from the global terrorism scare. Opposition politicians also complained of the tight government control of the media and restraints on political activity claiming that it was almost impossible for other parties to challenge the PAP, which has held power since independence in 1965. Singaporeans enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. Few wanted to change the leadership which had made their city-State one of the wealthiest parts of Asia. The ruling party hammered away at its message weeks before polling day claiming that only the PAP could bring the country out of recession, while the opposition tried to capitalise on rising unemployment and falling income to expand its two-seat presence in the last Parliament. As the PAP prepared for the elections, tougher economic times, changing demographics and the need to face up to a more uncertain future forced a major change in the style and background of its candidates. In order to win the votes of new electorate for the PAP, singles, middle income-earners and single mothers, for example, the PAP presented 25 new faces to run under its banner, including three single women. The November 2001 poll saw the PAP scoring a landslide victory with 75.3 per cent of the votes, an increase of 10.3 percentage points over the 65 per cent share in 1997. It was the party's third highest score so far, after 86.7 per cent in 1968 and 77.7 per cent in 1980. It won 82 of the 84 seats while the Singapore Democratic Alliance and the Workers' Party won one seat each. The new Cabinet, that includes seven new MPs appointed as senior ministers of State or ministers of State, was announced on 17 November 2001 and sworn in one week later.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (3 November 2001): Elections results
Number of registered electors	675 306
Voters	638 903 (94.61 %)
Blank or invalid ballot papers	13 636
Valid votes	625 267

Round no 1: Distribution of votes
Political Group	Votes	%
People's Action Party (PAP)	470 765	73.67
Workers' Party (WPS)	19 060	2.98
Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA)	75 248	11.78

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
People's Action Party (PAP)	82
Workers' Party (WPS)	1
Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA)	1

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	74
Women:	10
Percent of women:	11.76

Distribution of seats according to age:
31 to 40 years	14
41 to 50 years	42
51 to 60 years	22
61 to 70 years	5
Over 70 years	1
Distribution of seats according to profession:
Politicians	29
Business/Trade/Industry	21
Legal professions	8
Medical professions	7
Trade Unionists	6
University Professors	5
Bankers	1
Others	7