| Election Name: | 1955 Malayan general election |
| Country: | Malaya |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Election Date: | 27 July 1955 |
| Next Election: | 1959 Malayan general election |
| Next Year: | 1959 |
| Seats For Election: | 52 of the 98 seats in the Federal Legislative Council |
| Majority Seats: | 27 |
| Turnout: | 82.84% |
| Elected Mps: | Members elected |
| Registered: | 1,240,058 |
| Image1: | Tunku Abdul Rahman, 1947 (cropped 4to3 format, closeup).jpg |
| Leader1: | Tunku Abdul Rahman |
| Party1: | United Malays National Organisation |
| Alliance1: | Alliance Party (Malaysia) |
| Seats1: | 51 |
| Popular Vote1: | 818,013 |
| Percentage1: | 81.68% |
| Leader2: | Abbas Alias |
| Party2: | Pan-Malayan Islamic Party |
| Popular Vote2: | 40,667 |
| Percentage2: | 4.06% |
| Seats2: | 1 |
| Chief Minister | |
| Posttitle: | Elected Chief Minister |
| After Election: | Tunku Abdul Rahman |
| After Party: | Alliance Party (Malaysia) |
General elections were held in the Federation of Malaya on Wednesday, 27 July 1955, the only general election before independence in 1957. They were held to elect members of the Federal Legislative Council, whose members had previously been fully appointed by the British High Commissioner. Voting took place in all 52 federal constituencies, each electing one member. State elections also took place in all 136 state constituencies in nine states of Malaya and two settlements from 10 October 1954 to 12 November 1955, each electing one councillor to the State Council or Settlement Council.
The Pan-Malayan Islamic Party (PMIP) was formed primarily to contest in the 1955 elections. Previously the PMIP had been known as the "Pan-Malayan Islamic Association", as a part of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). PMIP won support by proclaiming its aim of making Islam the base of the Malay society in the north of Malay Peninsula, which was facing the lowest economic growth in Malaya.
The elections resulted in a decisive win for the Alliance Party, an alliance of the UMNO, the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and Malayan Indian Congress (MIC), and a resounding defeat for Parti Negara, led by former UMNO president Onn Jaafar. Onn himself failed to win a seat, while the Alliance proceeded to form the new government, with its leader Tunku Abdul Rahman becoming Chief Minister.[1]
Thirty Alliance candidates had majorities of over 10,000 votes. Nine of them had majorities of over 20,000. Forty-three of their opponents lost their deposits.
| State | Nomination Date | State election | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 September 1954 | 10 October 1954 | ||
| 29 October 1954 | |||
| 11 August 1955 | 27 September 1955 | ||
| 14 August 1955 | nil | ||
| 15 August 1955 | 19 September 1955 | ||
| 17 August 1955 | 24 September 1955 | ||
| 25 August 1955 | 26 September 1955 | ||
| 8 September 1955 | 12 October 1955 | ||
| 1 October 1955 | 12 November 1955 |
| Settlement | Nomination Date | State election | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 January 1955 | 19 February 1955 | ||
| 4 August 1955 | nil |
See main article: Results of the 1955 Malayan general election by federal constituency. The Alliance Party won around 80% of the total vote and 51 out of 52 seats contested. PMIP won their only seat in Krian, Perak. Its sole winning candidate, Haji Ahmad Tuan Hussein, an Islamic scholar, was subsequently nicknamed "Mr. Opposition". Voter turnout was 82.8%.
See main article: 1954 Malayan state elections and 1955 Malayan state elections.