This was Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's maiden leading of PAP into an election after Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as PM and PAP's secretary-general in 1990. PM Goh decided to call a snap election merely three years after the last GE, setting Parliament's shortest term ever, to court a fresh mandate. However, it lost an unprecedented four seats, the biggest number since the 1963 GE, and its share of votes fell for the third consecutive time. SDP added two more spoils to the seat retained successfully by leader Chiam See Tong, becoming the main opposition party in Parliament. Eight out of nine SDP candidates came in among the top ten opposition candidates. WP made its second in-road into the legislature with the victory of its organising secretary Low Thia Khiang, who would years later become WP secretary-general and leader. At a press conference, PM Goh glumly attributed the loss to his "open and consultative style of government" and pledged to re-evaluate his style. GRCs were increased from three to four seats each. Since the introduction of the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament scheme in 1984, this was the first GE with no NCMP seats offered as the four opposition seats exceeded the minimum of three NCMP seats alloted. Therefore, the "deja vu" narrow defeat of WP's Eunos GRC team, helmed by Dr Lee Siew Choh again, did not see to Dr Lee's return as NCMP. This was his final legislature and electoral presence as he resigned from WP and retired from politics in 1993. The maximum of six Nominated MPs were appointed for this term, up from two NMPs previously.

7th Parliament dissolution: 14 August 1991 [Wed]
Nomination day: 21 August 1991 [Wed]
Polling day: 31 August 1991 [Sat]
8th Parliament convention: 6 January 1992 [Mon]

Eligible voters: 1,692,384
Voters in walkover constituencies: 844,668 (49.9%)
Total voters: 847,716 (50.1%)
Total voter turnout: 805,593 (95.0%)

Election deposit: $6,000 (+50.0%)

RESULTS
Single member constituencies		Group representation constituencies
Ayer Rajah	Jurong	Aljunied GRC	Tampines GRC
Boon Lay	Kreta Ayer	Ang Mo Kio GRC	Tanjong Pagar GRC
Braddell Heights	Leng Kee	Bedok GRC	Thomson GRC
Bukit Batok	Mountbatten	Brickworks GRC	Toa Payoh GRC
Bukit Gombak	Nee Soon Central	Cheng San GRC
Bukit Merah	Nee Soon South	Eunos GRC
Bukit Timah	Potong Pasir	Hong Kah GRC
Buona Vista	Tanglin	Jalan Besar GRC
Changi	Ulu Pandan	Kampong Glam GRC
Chua Chu Kang	Yuhua	Marine Parade GRC
Hougang		Sembawang GRC
Total seats = 81