There’s plenty of general election jargon thrown around during election season, and for those unfamiliar with the political scene in Singapore, it can get a little complicated. Whether you’re worried about voting for the first time or just need some answers to all your election questions, you don’t have to be paiseh about it.
We’ve compiled and explained some of the most commonly used Singapore General Election jargon and buzzwords so you understand what people are talking about when they use these terms.
Table of Contents
Image credit: Parliament of Singapore via Facebook
A Member of Parliament, AKA MP, represents the people in a constituency and speaks up for them in Parliament. Simply put, they are the bridge between the general public and the government, allowing voters to have their voices heard.
Elected MPs are elected into Parliament after a General Election on a first-past-the-post basis. This means that candidates who obtain the most first-preference votes will win and become elected MPs to represent their respective constituencies.
The job scope of an MP is broad: they help decide on the important issues of the country, propose and vote on laws, and collaborate with government agencies to improve local infrastructure and services. They also hold regular Meet-The-People sessions to listen to and assist with residents’ concerns.
There are also 2 other types of MPs – non-constituency MPs, or NCMPs, and nominated MPs, or NMPs.
Non-constituency MPs are appointed from contesting opposition parties that came closest to winning across the constituencies, while nominated MPs are appointed by the President to represent other national sectors such as arts, sports, and education. These MPs carry fewer voting duties in Parliament and are generally not involved in managing town councils or meeting the people.
Note that an MP is different from The Cabinet and its ministers. Cabinet ministers take care of the daily administrative affairs of the state and manage government policies, like our Minister of Home Affairs or Minister of Defence.
Image credit: Elections Department Singapore
A constituency, or electoral division, is a geographical area of Singapore whose residents an MP represents in Parliament. The boundaries of the electoral constituencies are drawn and decided by the Elections Department of Singapore, under the Prime Minister’s Office.
These areas can be redrawn and changed, with the divisions generally announced close to the election. Do make sure you check which constituency you’re in as it might have changed from the last time you voted.
In past elections, the redrawing of constituency lines and the dissolution of opposition-favoured constituencies have previously garnered accusations of gerrymandering, which is defined as the manipulation of electoral boundaries to advantage a specific party within a constituency.
The constituencies of Singapore are divided into Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) or Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs), with SMCs holding a single seat in Parliament and GRCs holding between 4 and 5 seats.
A GRC elects 3-5 MPs to represent residents of the area, depending on the declared number of seats to be returned from the constituency. In GRCs, at least one MP returned must belong to the Malay, Indian, or other minority community.
An SMC elects 1 MP to represent the constituency residents, and will return a single MP to Parliament. This is because SMCs comprise smaller-sized constituencies as compared to GRCs.
Image adapted from: Lam Pin Min via Facebook, Jamus Lim via Facebook
You might have seen MP candidates roaming about in your nearby hawker centres and MRT stations – this is known as a walkabout. A walkabout is a tour made by electoral candidates to connect with the residents of their constituency and explain their campaign goals. They also make rounds at individual houses and flats in the area, making sure to greet even those who stay at home.
Image adapted from: moonlighthorfun via Reddit
For some candidates, the crowds seem to naturally gravitate towards them – take The Workers’ Party’s Alexis Dang and her burgeoning popularity with Punggol GRC residents. There was even a snaking queue of people who wanted to snag a photo with her. Dang Alexis, that’s some real clout.
Image credit: Edwin Koo via Facebook
A rally is where contesting electoral candidates address a large crowd as part of election campaigning. These events aim to garner support and raise morale, and you’ll often see spirited calls to action, as well as impassioned candidate speeches that highlight their values, qualifications, and political goals.
The first rally in Singapore, after she became a self-governing state, was held at Fullerton Square in 1959 by Lee Kuan Yew. It was a platform to reach an English-speaking audience and to bypass the biases and rhetoric of media outlets. Back then, rallies were the main way for voters to see and hear candidates in person.
These events have since evolved over the years – while candidates will still speak to the masses, some physical rallies nowadays are almost like a big party, with the distribution of food and inflatable toys to attendees.
Here are some of the rallies for the GE2025 that are happening today and tomorrow:
30th April 2025
| Time | Constituency | Party | Location |
| 7pm-10pm | Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC | People’s Action Party (PAP) | Bishan Stadium |
| 7pm-10pm | Bukit Panjang SMC | People’s Action Party (PAP) | Beacon Primary School |
| 7pm-10pm | Hougang SMC | People’s Action Party (PAP) | Anderson Serangoon Junior College |
| 7pm-10pm | Jurong East-Bukit Batok SMC | Red Dot United (RDU) | Boon Lay Way Field, next to Chinese Garden MRT |
| 7pm-10pm | Mountbatten SMC | People’s Action Party (PAP) | Home of Athletics |
| 7pm-10pm | Sembawang GRC | Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) | Sembawang Hardcourt |
| 7pm-10pm | Sembawang West SMC | People’s Action Party (PAP) | Evergreen Primary School |
1st May 2025
| Time | Constituency | Party | Location |
| 7pm-10pm | West Coast-Jurong West GRC | Progress Singapore Party (PSP) | TBA |
| 7pm-10pm | Pioneer SMC | Progress Singapore Party (PSP) | TBA |
| TBA | TBA | Worker’s Party (WP) | TBA |
| TBA | TBA | Red Dot United (RDU) | TBA |
Image credit: Neighbourhood Shop.sg
Not to be confused with a walkabout, a walkover is when a constituency is uncontested by the opposition, and its seats in Parliament are defaulted to the incumbent party.
There can be plenty of reasons for a walkover – shifting and redrawing of constituency lines, limited opposition resources, and campaign strategy, among others. Typically, these walkovers happen when opposition parties choose to redeploy resources and candidates strategically in order to maximise impact and chances of winning in other constituencies.
For example, this GE2025, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC will go uncontested without rallies and debates – the first general election walkover since 2011. In such a case, voters from the constituency will not get a chance to vote, and will have to wait for subsequent elections in order to do so.
Image credit: JaegerF via Memedroid
A coalition is an alliance of opposition parties that are formed with the goal of more effectively contesting a ruling party in electoral divisions. Coalition agreements include avoiding three-cornered contests for constituencies, forming a collective manifesto, and even sharing candidates during the elections.
This GE2025 – we have an alliance of 3 parties, comprising the National Solidarity Party (NSP), Singapore People’s Party (SPP), and Singapore United Party (SUP), under The Coalition. Red Dot United (RDU) was also originally part of the coalition in a 4-way alliance, but withdrew due to the NSP contesting in the same constituency as fellow opposition party Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).
Polling Day refers to the day on which electors will cast their votes during a general election, and is considered a public holiday. This year, polling stations will open from 8am-8pm. Be sure to check where your allotted polling station is within your constituency.
At your polling station, you’ll enter a voting booth alone to cast your vote with a serialised ballot paper. Using the custom “X” stamp, you will fold and place your vote into a ballot box, which will be transported to counting centres to be tallied.
All votes are kept confidential, and a sample count may be released earlier in the evening to give the general public an idea of how voting went in different constituencies.
Cooling-Off Day, a play by Wild Rice.
Image credit: Wild Rice
Also known as an election blackout, cooling-off day happens on the day before actual voting takes place. No campaigning is allowed, so parties and candidates must halt all promotions, both in-person and online.
This was implemented back in the 2011 election to allow voters time to critically reflect and think rationally about issues and ideas raised during the whole campaigning period. Additionally, it allows more time for voters to make a final decision on their choice with fewer external influences.
Image credit: People’s Action Party
A manifesto is crafted by individual political parties to outline policy proposals and promises should they be elected into Parliament. These manifestos generally cover a range of topics that focus on the issues Singaporeans are most concerned with and affected by, and it’s a way to get a holistic view of specific parties’ views and priorities.
For instance, part of the PAP manifesto this year covers handling global challenges and carving out a roadmap for uncertainties in the future. On the other hand, the WP manifesto emphasises many key domestic issues, such as a lowered voting age and a national minimum wage.
Many other notable issues of interest were covered by other parties in their respective manifestos – RDU’s manifesto promised ‘unconditional cash transfers’ to voters, while the PSP manifesto proposed a return to 7% GST on goods.
While it’s all well and good to see a range of objectives laid out in these manifestos, voters should expect that not every manifesto recommendation can or will be fulfilled. Rather, it’s a good indicator of what each party stands for, and whether what matters to them aligns with you as a voter.
Independent candidates choose their own representative symbols which will differ from the usual political party symbols.
Image adapted from: Elections Department Singapore
An independent candidate is a candidate without the backing of, or affiliation with, any political party. These candidates contest in SMCs while often managing their campaign themselves. Many view independent candidacy as having the benefit of speaking more freely about issues that party-aligned candidates may not be able to in the same way.
This year, there are 2 independent candidates – Jeremy Tan in Mountbatten SMC, and Darryl Lo in Radin Mas SMC.
Image credit: FelipeRev via Wikimedia
A watershed election is an election which sees a significant shift away from the current political situation. It is frequently marked by major political changes in party control, policy direction, or voter alignment.
The 2011 Singapore General Election is widely considered an example of a watershed election due to several factors: high electorate turnout, a record proportion of seats contested, and a swing in voters’ political alignments.
In addition, incumbent opposition MPs contested in GRCs in an unprecedented turn of events that year. For the first time since GRCs were introduced, an opposition party won a GRC – namely, WP acquired Aljunied GRC. The final voting results eventually saw the lowest voting percentage of 60% held by the PAP since independence, signifying the largest gains the opposition had ever seen in post-independence history.
When a sitting MP departs before their term expires, a by-election is held in an SMC to fill the vacancy. In the case of a by-election, the process is similar to the general election, albeit on a smaller scale. A writ of election is issued by the president, and candidates are subsequently nominated. Candidates are chosen through voting by the constituency residents, and the winner of the by-election will fill the vacancy.
For GRCs, a by-election is only held when all the MPs of the constituency have vacated their seats.
Since the independence of Singapore, 11 by-elections have been held; the last was in 2016 for Bukit Batok SMC.
We get it – it’s hard to keep track of all the vocab thrown around during election season. Now, with this list, you’ll know what kind of constituency you’re in, and what exactly is happening this election period. If you’re of age, we’ll see you at the polls on 3rd May.
For more reads about politics:
Cover image adapted from: Parliament of Singapore via Facebook, Lam Pin Min via Facebook
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