Singapore's general election to form its 12th Parliament was held on 7 May 2011. The
Parliament of Singapore's maximum term is five years, within which it must be dissolved by the
President of Singapore and elections held within three months, as stated in the
Constitution of Singapore. Voting is mandatory in Singapore and is based on the
first-past-the-post system. Elections are conducted by the
Elections Department, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s Office. On 19 April 2011, President
S.R. Nathan dissolved parliament. Nomination day was held on 27 April 2011, and for the second election in a row, the PAP did not officially return to power on nomination day, but it did return to power on the polling day. This election also marked the first and the only three-cornered fight since 2001 in Punggol East SMC before it increased to four-cornered fight two years later.