Following Singapore’s attainment of self-government in 1959, a Legislative Assembly Election was held in May of the same year. It was a watershed political event as it marked the first time that all 51 seats in the legislative body were to be fully elected. The election saw a fierce contest between the Singapore People’s Alliance (SPA), headed by then Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock, and the People’s Action Party (PAP) led by Lee Kuan Yew. The PAP won by a landslide, securing 43 out of the 51 seats, while the SPA won 4 seats. The PAP went on to form the new government and Lee became Singapore’s first Prime Minister.
