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Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore

Presiding officer of the Parliament of Singapore

Field	Value
post	Speaker
body	the
Parliament of Singapore
department	Parliament of Singapore
image	File:Seah Kian Peng.jpg
incumbent	Seah Kian Peng
incumbentsince	2 August 2023
type	Presiding officer
style	{{plainlist
nominator	Prime Minister
appointer	Parliament
termlength	No term limit
formation
inaugural	George Oehlers
salary	S$550,000 annually
(in addition to S$192,500 in MP allowance)
website	www.parliament.gov.sg

Parliament of Singapore

Mr Speaker (informal)
The Honourable (formal) (in addition to S$192,500 in MP allowance)

The speaker of the Parliament of Singapore is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Singapore. They are nominated by the prime minister before being appointed by Parliament, and are second in the presidential line of succession. The speaker is assisted by two deputy speakers, who preside over parliamentary sessions in the event that they are unavailable.

The current speaker is Seah Kian Peng, a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade–Braddell Heights Group Representation Constituency (GRC), who took office on 2 August 2023. The current deputy speakers are Christopher de Souza, an MP for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC, who took office on 31 August 2020, and Xie Yao Quan, the MP for Jurong Central Single Member Constituency (SMC), who took office on 22 September 2025. All individuals are members of the governing People's Action Party (PAP).

Although Singapore is modelled after the Westminster system, the speaker of Parliament can remain partisan, unlike their counterparts in the United Kingdom, who must remain strictly non-partisan and neutral while renouncing all affiliation with their former political parties when taking office.

Election

Parliament must elect a speaker at the beginning of each new parliamentary term after a general election. The Constitution states that Parliament has the freedom to decide how to elect its speaker. By tradition, the prime minister nominates a person for the role. The person's name is then proposed and seconded by MPs, before they can be elected as speaker.

The speaker is not required to be an elected MP, but must possess the qualifications to stand for Parliament as listed in the Constitution. They cannot be an incumbent cabinet minister or parliamentary secretary.

Once elected, a speaker continues in office until the dissolution of Parliament, unless they resign, are appointed as a cabinet minister, minister of state or parliamentary secretary, or are disqualified from being an MP.

Role

The role of the speaker in Singapore is similar to that in most Commonwealth legislatures. They preside over the sittings of Parliament, and enforce the rules prescribed in standing orders for the orderly conduct of parliamentary business. In carrying out their duties, the speaker must remain impartial and fair to all MPs.

The speaker regulates and enforces the rules of debate. They decide who has the right to speak, and put the question for Parliament to debate on and vote. The speaker does not take part in debates, but, being an elected MP, can abstain from or vote on a motion if they have a vote.

As the speaker is considered the guardian of parliamentary privileges, MPs look to them for guidance on procedures, and for rulings on any points of order.

The speaker is second in the line of succession for the office of President of Singapore. In situations where the president's office is vacant, and the chairperson of the Council of Presidential Advisers is unable to take up the role, the speaker will assume presidential duties until a new president is elected. In terms of state protocol, they sit at the same level as the chief justice of Singapore.

The speaker acts as Parliament's representative in its relations with other legislatures and outside bodies. They also welcome visiting dignitaries, and represent Parliament at national events and during official visits abroad. Overall, they are in charge of the administration of Parliament and its Secretariat.

The speakership is one of the few public sector roles in Singapore which allow officeholders to automatically qualify as candidates in presidential elections.

List of speakers

No.	Portrait	Name
Constituency
(Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Party	Parliament
1	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Sir George Oehlers
(1908–1968)	22 April
1955	3 September
1963	Independent}};"		Independent
2nd Legislative Assembly
2	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	E. W. Barker
MP for Tanglin
(1920–2001)	22 October
1963	30 October
1964	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
3	[[File:Arumugam_Ponnu_Rajah,_1951.jpg	frameless	149x149px]]	A. P. Rajah
(1911–1999)	2 November
1964	5 August
1966	Independent}};"		Independent
1st
4	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Punch Coomaraswamy
(1925–1999)	17 August
1966	18 January
1970	Independent}};"		Independent
2nd
5	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Yeoh Ghim Seng
MP for Joo Chiat
(1918–1993)	27 January
1970	17 August
1988	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
3rd
4th
5th
6th
6	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Tan Soo Khoon
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1949)	9 January
1989	17 October
2001	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
8th
9th
7	[[File:Abdullah_Tarmugi_2024.jpg	133x133px]]	Abdullah Tarmugi
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1944)	22 March
2002	18 April
2011	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
11th
8	[[File:Michael_Palmer_2012.jpg	133x133px]]	Michael Palmer
MP for Punggol East SMC
(born 1968)	10 October
2011	12 December
2012	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
–	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Charles Chong
MP for Joo Chiat SMC
(born 1953)
Acting	12 December
2012	14 January
2013	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
9	[[File:President_Halimah_Yacob_in_2019.jpg	130x130px]]	Halimah Yacob
MP for Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC
(born 1954)	14 January
2013	7 August
2017	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
13th
–	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Charles Chong
MP for Punggol East SMC
(born 1953)
Acting	7 August
2017	11 September
2017	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
10	[[File:Tan_Chuan_Jin.jpg	127x127px]]	Tan Chuan-Jin
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1969)	11 September
2017	17 July
2023	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
14th
–	[[File:Jessica_Tan_2.jpg	127x127px]]	Jessica Tan
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1966)
Acting	17 July
2023	2 August
2023	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
11	[[File:Seah_Kian_Peng.jpg	127x127px]]	Seah Kian Peng
MP for Marine Parade GRC (until 2025) and Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC (from 2025)
(born 1961)	2 August
2023	Incumbent	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
15th

List of deputy speakers

No.	Portrait	Name
Constituency
(Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Party	Parliament
1	[[File:Richard_Lim_Chuan_Hoe.jpg	frameless	156x156px]]	Richard Lim
Nominated MP
(1904–1968)	26 April
1955	31 March
1959	Labour Front}};"		LF
(until 1959)
Malayan Chinese Association}};"		MCA
(from 1959)
2	[[File:G._Kandasamy,_1953.jpg	frameless	129x129px]]	G. Kandasamy
MP for Kampong Kapor
(1921–1999)	15 July
1959	24 September
1961	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
3	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	John Mammen
MP for Telok Blangah	16 November
1961	3 September
1963	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
4	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Fong Kim Heng
MP for Joo Chiat
(1923–1975)	9 December
1963	9 December
1965	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
5	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Punch Coomaraswamy
(1925–1999)	23 February
1966	16 August
1966	Independent}};"		Independent
6	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Yeoh Ghim Seng
MP for Joo Chiat
(1918–1993)	11 July
1968	17 August
1970	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
7	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Tang See Chim
MP for Chua Chu Kang
(born 1930)	22 November
1972	4 December
1980	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
8	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Hwang Soo Jin
MP for Jalan Kayu
(born 1937)	6 March
1981	3 December
1984	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
9	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Tan Soo Khoon
MP for Alexandra
(born 1949)	6 March
1985	17 August
1988	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
10	[[File:Lim Boon Heng, 2025.jpg	frameless	140x140px]]	Lim Boon Heng
MP for Kebun Baru SMC
(born 1947)	16 January
1989	13 August
1991	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
11	[[File:Abdullah_Tarmugi_2024.jpg	132x132px]]	Abdullah Tarmugi
MP for Siglap SMC (until 1991) and Bedok GRC (from 1991)
(born 1944)	16 January
1989	30 June
1993	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
12	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Eugene Yap
MP for Mountbatten SMC (until 1996) and Marine Parade GRC (from 1997)	26 February
1993	17 October
2001	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
13	[[File:Lim_Hwee_Hua.jpg	110x110px]]	Lim Hwee Hua
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1959)	1 April
2002	11 August
2004	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
14	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Chew Heng Ching
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1953)	1 April
2002	19 April
2006	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
15	[[File:The_Trade_Minister_of_Singapore,_Shri_S._Iswaran_meeting_the_Union_Minister_for_Urban_Development,_Housing_&_Urban_Poverty_Alleviation_and_Information_&_Broadcasting,_Shri_M._Venkaiah_Naidu,_in_New_Delhi_on_October_03,_2016_(cropped).jpg	132x132px]]	S. Iswaran
MP for West Coast GRC
(born 1962)	1 September
2004	19 April
2006	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
16	[[File:Indranee_Rajah_(4x5).jpg	125x125px]]	Indranee Rajah
MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC
(born 1963)	8 November
2006	18 April
2011	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
17	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Matthias Yao
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1956)	8 November
2006	18 April
2011	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
18	[[File:Seah_Kian_Peng.jpg	127x127px]]	Seah Kian Peng
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1961)	17 October
2011	14 January
2016	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
19	[[File:3x4.svg	frameless	133x133px]]	Charles Chong
MP for Punggol East SMC
(born 1953)	17 October
2011	22 June
2020	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
20	[[File:Lim_Biow_Chuan.jpg	127x127px]]	Lim Biow Chuan
MP for Mountbatten SMC
(born 1963)	25 January
2016	22 June
2020	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
21	[[File:Jessica_Tan_2.jpg	127x127px]]	Jessica Tan
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1966)	31 August
2020	22 September
2025	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
22	[[File:Christopher_de_souza_1_(cropped).jpg	133x133px]]	Christopher de Souza
MP for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC
(born 1976)	31 August
2020	Incumbent	People's Action Party}};"		PAP
23	[[File:MP Xie Yao Quan (cropped).jpg	133x133px]]	Xie Yao Quan
MP for Jurong Central SMC
(born 1984)
22 September
2025	Incumbent	People's Action Party}};"		PAP

Notes

References

Constitution, Art. 40(1).
Constitution, Art. 40(2).
(8 January 2016). "Halimah Yacob to be renominated as Speaker of Parliament: 7 things you may not know about the post". The Straits Times.
"Speaker of Parliament".
Constitution, Art. 40(4).
Constitution, Art. 22N.
Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, Art. 19(3)(a).

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