Singapore's Electoral Boundaries Review Committee yet to convene ahead of potential General Election

The Elections Department of Singapore (ELD) confirmed to Channel News Asia on Thursday that the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) has not yet been convened.

The formation of the committee is a critical step preceding the announcement and conduct of a General Election, which must be held by November 2025 at the latest.

The question of when the EBRC will be formed is on the minds of many, especially the opposition, following the announcement that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is set to pass leadership to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on 15 May.

While CNA and some other state media have suggested the election would likely be at the end of the year, the ruling party would probably want to avoid coinciding with the elections in the United States and United Kingdom, which are likely to happen in November and also avoid possible worsening economy as might be suggested from the latest export data in March.

Pundits speculate that Singapore is more likely to head to the polls as early as September this year, given that cash handouts are distributed in September.

During the last boundary review in August 2019, ahead of the July 2020 General Election, changes were made, including the elimination of six-member group representation constituencies (GRCs) and the addition of four MPs. New constituencies were formed, and the number of GRCs and single-member constituencies (SMCs) were adjusted.

This is not the first time the formation of the EBRC has been questioned; Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song, a Member of Parliament from the Workers’ Party, also inquired about this during a parliamentary session in February.

Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing, responding on behalf of PM Lee, reiterated that the EBRC had not been convened and highlighted the committee’s role in reviewing demographic and housing developments to advise on potential electoral changes.

Minister Chan stressed the importance of the EBRC's independence in its technical analysis and decision-making process, noting the difficulty in providing detailed justifications for each boundary change. He also emphasized that there would be sufficient time between the EBRC’s report and the election for adequate preparation by political parties and candidates.

Historically, an election could be convened between four months and a year after the committee's announcement or even earlier in some cases.

For instance, in 2015, the EBRC was convened in May, but its formation was only disclosed on 13 July, following MPs filing Parliamentary Questions. The committee’s report was released on 21 July, preceding the dissolution of parliament on 25 August and polling day on 11 September.

Although the EBRC was convened in August 2019, well before the July 2020 general election, it was likely delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It should be noted that Mr Chan made no promises on behalf of the Prime Minister to announce the establishment of the EBRC immediately upon its formation, as requested by Mr Giam.

WP had a troubling experience in the past when its Secretary-General, Pritam Singh, inquired about the committee’s status on 8 July 2019 and received a negative response. Later, the Prime Minister announced the formation of the committee on 4 September. It was subsequently revealed through a parliamentary question that the EBRC had already been established on 1 August, within a month of Mr Singh’s inquiry.

The Prime Minister appoints the EBRC at his own discretion, and the committee consists of civil servants. For the past few EBRCs, they have been chaired by PM Lee’s own secretary.