1972 Singaporean general election

The 1972 Singaporean general election was held on 2 September 1972 to elect all 65 members to the Parliament of Singapore. It was the fourth general election since Singapore attained self-governance in 1959 and the second since gaining independence in 1965. The election was contested in 57 constituencies, with the remaining eight seats won uncontested by the People's Action Party (PAP). A total of 137 candidates contested the election, comprising 135 from six political parties and two independents.

The PAP, led by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, won all 65 seats in Parliament for the third consecutive general election. The PAP received 524,892 of the 745,239 valid votes cast, amounting to 70.43% of the popular vote. This represented a decline from the 86.72% share it achieved in the 1968 general election. The opposition parties, including the Barisan Sosialis (BS), Workers' Party (WP), United National Front (UNF), People's Front (PF) and Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura (PKMS), collectively contested the election but failed to win any seats. BS, which had boycotted in 1968, returned to the electoral arena, fielding 10 candidates but only secured 4.63% of the popular vote. The opposition had remained fragmented and many candidates lost their election deposits due to low vote shares.

The results left Parliament without any opposition members, reinforcing the PAP's legislative dominance. The election outcome reflected the political landscape of the period, marked by limited opposition presence and a strong emphasis on stability and economic development by the ruling party. With no change in party representation, the 1972 general election continued the trend of one-party governance that had been in place since independence.