Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has formed a committee to review electoral boundaries, initiating the process for Singapore’s upcoming general election.
Typically, the time between the formation of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) and Polling Day has ranged from four to 11 months, which means that voters could go to the polls in May, or even earlier if the committee is able to complete its work in time.
The EBRC will comprise five senior civil servants:
- Colin Low, chief executive of Singapore Land Authority
- Tan Meng Dui, chief executive of the Housing Development Board
- Koh Eng Chuan, chief statistician of the Singapore Department of Statistics
- Lim Zhi Yang, head of ELD, and
- Tan Kee Yong, Secretary to the Prime Minister, as its chairman.
The committee has been directed to review the boundaries of the current electoral divisions, and to recommend the number of boundaries of Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and Single Member Constituencies (SMCs).
The Committee will take into account significant changes in the number of electors in the current divisions as a result of population shifts and housing developments. It will then produce a report that goes to the Parliament, which will decide whether to accept the new boundaries.
This is a necessary step before a general election can happen. There is no fixed timeline given to the committee to issue its report, but past teams have taken between three weeks and seven months.
“I look forward to the committee’s report and its recommendations in due course,” said PM Wong in a Facebook post, addressing the convened EBRC.
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Featured Image Credit: Elections Department Singapore