Former People's Action Party (PAP) MP Tan Cheng Bock's political party, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), has been formally registered.

The Registry of Societies' website showed that the party was registered last Thursday. When contacted yesterday by The Straits Times, a representative of the PSP said, without elaborating, that a formal announcement will be made this week.

Chinese-language paper Lianhe Zaobao reported yesterday that it is believed the party will hold a meeting in the coming week to discuss its future plans.

Dr Tan, 78, who has been seen making visits to hawker centres in Bukit Timah, Ang Mo Kio and Ghim Moh in recent months, had applied to register the party on Jan 16. In a Facebook post on Jan 18, he said the party comprises 11 other "like-minded Singaporeans".

Dr Tan entered politics in 1980 and was a six-term MP for the former single-seat constituency of Ayer Rajah before retiring in 2006. In 2011, Dr Tan contested the four-way presidential election but narrowly lost to the PAP-backed Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam.