SINGAPORE: The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee ( EBRC ) has been formed, the Elections Department ( ELD ) said on Wednesday ( Jan 22 ).
The move marks a major move in the lead-up to the next general election, which has to be held by November.
The council is convened back of every challenge to review and make changes to Singapore’s political image, taking into account inhabitants shifts and housing developments to alter the number of voters across political divisions.
The next general election will be Singapore’s 14th since democracy, and the first under the state ’s fourth-generation administration led by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
NEXT GENERAL ELECTION IMMINENT
In the four events called by Mr Wong’s president, Mr Lee Hsien Loong- in 2006, 2011, 2015 and 2020- the distance from the EBRC’s development to the vote being called ranged between three and nearly 11 times.
The council was past convened in August 2019, back of a public poll in July the following year, held amid the COVID-19 crisis.
In 2015, it was convened in May, with a September poll held in what was Singapore’s Golden Jubilee season.
Chaired by the minister to the prime minister, it comprises top civil servants from the Housing and Development Board, Singapore Land Authority, Department of Statistics and ELD.
NEXT MILESTONE TO LOOK OUT FOR
The meeting of the commission kickstarts a series of occasions that culminates in the country heading to the surveys.
The anticipated sequence of events is as follows:
1. The EBRC is convened
2. Release of EBRC document detailing changes to the political chart
The EBRC does not have a set timeframe to complete its assessment, but previous boards took between three days and about seven and a half months before issuing its record.
The statement will state the total number of seats up for grabs, in Single Member Constituencies and Group Representation Constituencies across the isle.
Election season kicks off, with democratic events deciding their tiles in the rooms they intend to battle. Election proposals and phrases will also be published.
3. Parliament is dissolved
The leader will break congress under the guidance of the prime minister. A General Election had been held within the next three decades.
The government will continue to maintain decision-making energy until the poll is over and the subsequent government is sworn in. The common services even continues functioning as usual.
4. Petition of Election is issued
The petition is normally issued on the same day, soon after parliament is dissolved.
There is no fixed period between the launch of the EBRC document and the asking of the General Election.
In 2001, it took only a day. In the last battle in 2020, Singaporeans waited three weeks and 10 weeks.
5. Election Day
This may take place not earlier than five times and not later than one quarter after the petition is issued. Events contesting the election have to file their documents at election areas before lunchtime on the day, before the last member line-up is confirmed.
That evening also marks the start of the campaign period, which usually lasts nine times.
6. Cooling-off Time
Introduced in the 2011 General Election, no fighting is allowed on the day of Polling Day, to provide citizens the time to reflect and contemplate important problems before making their choices.
7. Polling Time
Citizens head to the poll boxes from 8am to 8pm.
In 2020, voting was extended by two hours, due to long queues at polling facilities driven in part by COVID-19 security measures.
Before the official results are over, sample works will provide Singaporeans an indication of who the likely victors are in the various wards. Introduced in the 2015 electoral contest, the samples provide a fairly good indication of the final outcome, with a confidence rate of 95 per cent and a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
ELECTORAL DEVELOPMENTS IN 2024
There have been signs along the way leading up to the formation of the EBRC.
In March last year, the ELD said about 50,000 public officers would be appointed and trained to manage nomination, polling and counting activities ahead of the next general election.
Then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s May Day Rally- his final major speech before handing over the reins- was seen by political analysts as an election campaign speech, as he summed up the PAP government’s achievements during his 20-year tenure.
Shortly after taking office, newly minted leader Mr Wong then directed the ELD on May 20 to revise Singapore’s registers of electors by the end of July.
In June last year, the boundaries of polling districts in 12 constituencies were changed and gazetted.
The nation’s voter rolls were then updated and open for public inspection in late July, revealing that over 2. 7 million Singaporeans will be eligible to vote in the next general election.
While the figures indicated that the average number of voters per MP currently remains well within the prescribed range, some political observers said there might still be a corresponding, albeit slight, increase in the number of MPs.