Speaker of Parliament

Election to the Chair

Mr Seah Kian Peng was first elected Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore by Members of Parliament (MPs) on 2 August 2023, making him the 11th Speaker of Singapore since the First Legislative Assembly of 1955.

Mr Seah has been an elected MP for Braddell Heights constituency in Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency since 2006, having been successfully re-elected in 2011, 2015 and 2020. From 2011 to 2015, he was the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and also the Chair of the Estimates Committee.

Mr Seah has served on various boards including SingTel, National Parks Board, Health Promotion Board, SoilBuild Group, ST Logistics, Trust Bank as well as Income Insurance, NTUC First Campus, NTUC Health, NTUC Learning Hub, Mercatus and Tangram Asia Capital.

He pursued his education at Raffles Institution and received the Colombo Plan Scholarship for studies at the University of New South Wales where he graduated with a First-Class Honours degree. Mr Seah is married with two children and plays various sports.

Mr Seah Kian Peng

Duties of the Speaker

The Speaker presides over the sittings of the House and enforces the rules prescribed in the Standing Orders of Parliament for the orderly conduct of parliamentary business. Elected at the commencement of a new Parliament by MPs, the Speaker may or may not be an MP, but must possess the qualifications to stand for election as an MP as provided for in the Constitution.

In carrying out the duties in the House, the Speaker must remain impartial and fair to all MPs. The Speaker regulates and enforces the rules of debate. He decides who has the right to speak and puts the question for the House to debate on and vote. The Speaker does not take part in the debates of the House but can abstain or vote for or against a motion if he has an original vote as an elected Member. The Speaker has no casting vote. As the guardian of parliamentary privileges, MPs look to the Speaker for guidance on procedures and he gives his rulings on any point of order, if necessary.

The Speaker acts as the representative of the House in its relations with other Parliaments and outside bodies. The Speaker also welcomes visiting dignitaries and represents Parliament at national events and during official visits abroad. The Speaker is overall in charge of the administration of Parliament and its Secretariat.

The Speaker is assisted by two Deputy Speakers, Mr Christopher de Souza and Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo.