Non-Constituency Member of Parliament

May 9, 2006
Elections Department Media Release

The Parliamentary Elections Act provides that, at any general election, the number of non-constituency Members (MPs) to be declared elected shall be 3 less the number of Opposition MPs elected. The non-constituency MPs to be declared elected shall be determined from among the candidates of those Opposition Parties contesting the general election on the basis of the percentage of votes polled by such candidates, in descending order of priority.

In the General Election 2006, two Opposition MPs have been elected. Therefore, only one non-constituency MP can be declared.

Since the Workers’ Party’s group of candidates which contested in the election of Aljunied GRC polled the highest percentage of votes among the unsuccessful Opposition Candidates, the Returning Officer has, on 7 May 2006, written to them, asking them to determine among themselves which one of them is to be declared as a non-constituency MP.

The said Workers’ Party’s group of candidates comprises Mr Goh Meng Seng, Mr James Gomez, Ms Lim Swee Lian Sylvia, Mr Mohd Rahizan Bin Yaacob and Mr Tan Wui-Hua. They are expected to notify the Returning Officer of their decision by 15 May 2006.