SINGAPORE: Big changes will mark the upcoming general election, which must be held no later than Nov 23 this year.
According to the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report released on Tuesday (March 11), whose recommendations have been accepted by the government, there will be:
- 97 MPs (up from 93 in the last GE)
- 33 constituencies (up from 31 in the last GE)
- 6 new SMCs: Bukit Gombak, Jalan Kayu, Jurong Central, Queenstown, Sembawang West, Tampines Changkat
- 5 new GRCs: Pasir Ris-Changi, Punggol, Jurong East-Bukit Batok, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights, West Coast-Jurong West
- Additionally, Yuhua, Bukit Batok, Hong Kah North, MacPherson, and Punggol West are no longer SMCs but are now part of GRCs.
In a major transformation, 22 of the current constituencies will see changes, and only nine remain unchanged.
The EBRC, which reviews the boundaries of current electoral divisions and makes recommendations regarding the number and boundaries of Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and Single-Member Constituencies (SMCs), was convened on Jan 22.
Here are the new electoral divisions:
The revised electoral map includes 15 SMCs: Bukit Gombak, Bukit Panjang, Hougang, Jalan Kayu, Jurong Central, Kebun Baru, Marymount, Mountbatten, Pioneer, Potong Pasir, Queenstown, Radin Mas, Sembawang West, Tampines Changkat, and Yio Chu Kang.
The new electoral map includes 18 GRCs.
There are eight GRCs with four MPs each: Bishan-Toa Payoh, Chua Chu Kang, Holland-Bukit Timah, Jalan Besar, Marsiling-Yew Tee, Pasir Ris-Changi, Punggol, and Sengkang.
There are also 10 GRCs with five MPs each: Aljunied, Ang Mo Kio, East Coast, Jurong East-Bukit Batok, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights, Nee Soon, Sembawang, Tampines, Tanjong Pagar, and West Coast-Jurong West
Each four-MP GRC is made up of 114,000 electors, while a five-MP GRC comprises 143,000 electors on average.
A major reason for the committee’s recommended changes is the population shift and new housing developments, with Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Sembawang GRC, Tampines GRC, Hong Kah North SMC, and Potong Pasir SMC seeing bigger growth than others. The ERBC also said that as of Feb 1, there are now 2,753,226 voters. In the last election, there were 2,651,435 voters.
As for opposition-held wards, while Sengkang GRC will remain unchanged in the next election, three of the polling districts have been moved from Aljunied GRC to Tampines GRC. Both Sengkang and Aljunied are under The Workers’ Party. This is the first time that Aljunied’s boundaries have been redrawn since 2011.
Aside from Sengkang, here are the other constituencies that will see no changes in the upcoming election: Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, Jalan Besar GRC, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, Nee Soon GRC, Bukit Panjang SMC, Hougang SMC, Marymount SMC, and Pioneer SMC. /TISG
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