This was another opportunity for Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong to score a better mandate after PAP's considerably poorer showing in the 1991 GE. Two seats in PAP-held Eunos and Toa Payoh GRCs were vacated after the death of Dr Tay Eng Soon and inauguration of former Deputy PM Ong Teng Cheong as Singapore's fifth and first elected President respectively. The former GRC, which twice saw narrow wins against WP, was dispersed into neighbouring constituencies. The main opposition SDP was facing serious internal strife. SDP Member of Parliament and former leader Chiam See Tong sued his party's central executive committee, including its new leader Dr Chee Soon Juan and one of its MPs, chairman Ling How Doong, for defamation, and won. Prior to nomination day, Chiam resigned from SDP and crossed over to its splinter party, SPP. Two opposition candidates who came under heaviest fire from PAP were Dr Chee and Tang Liang Hong, who was standing on the WP ticket with its secretary-general J. B. Jeyaretnam. Tang was accused by PAP of being an anti-Christian Chinese chavunist. GRCs went up from four to between four and six seats each. A NSP team was disqualified from Tampines GRC after one candidate was found to have his name struck off the electoral rolls for not voting in 1991. For the first time, a Nominated MP - listed company director Chia Shi Teck - ran in an election. With the "HDB upgrading" carrot dangled as a pricy stake for voters, PAP reversed its electoral decline for the first time in four GEs and since 1963 won back an opposition ward, recapturing the two SDP seats out of the four it had lost the last round. With Chiam's defection, SDP had no representation in Parliament since 1984. Low Thia Khiang, now WP assistant secretary-general, and Jeyaretnam as a Non-Constituency MP, returned to the legislature, the latter's last presence in 1986. Tang fled Singapore after numerous lawsuits were filed against him by PM Goh and top PAP leaders, including Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, DPMs Lee Hsien Loong, Dr Tony Tan and several PAP MPs. In June 1997, when NMPs were re-appointed, the number was increased from six to nine.

8th Parliament dissolution: 16 December 1996 [Mon]
Nomination day: 23 December 1996 [Mon]
Polling day: 2 January 1997 [Thu]
9th Parliament convention: 26 May 1997 [Mon]

Eligible voters: 1,881,011
Voters in walkover constituencies: 1,115,679 (59.3%)
Total voters: 765,332 (40.7%)
Total voter turnout: 734,000 (95.9%)

Election deposit: $8,000 (+33.3%)

RESULTS
Single member constituencies	Group representation constituencies
Ayer Rajah	Aljunied GRC [5]	Marine Parade GRC [6]
Boon Lay	Ang Mo Kio GRC [5]	Pasir Ris GRC [4]
Bukit Gombak	Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC [5]	Sembawang GRC [6]
Chua Chu Kang	Bukit Timah GRC [5]	Tampines GRC [4]
Hougang	Cheng San GRC [5]	Tanjong Pagar GRC [6]
Kampong Glam	East Coast GRC [6]	West Coast GRC [4]
MacPherson	Hong Kah GRC [5]
Nee Soon Central	Jalan Besar GRC [4]
Potong Pasir	Kreta Ayer-Tanglin GRC [4]
Total seats = 83