Singapore's next General Election: Who's contesting where?

SINGAPORE — With the release of the electoral boundaries for the country’s next General Election on 13 March, some 2.6 million registered voters may well head to the voting booths ahead of the April 2021 deadline for the polls.

Before the writ of election is issued, the President will dissolve Parliament upon the advice of the Prime Minister. Historically, the dissolution of Parliament has taken place within two months of the release of the new electoral boundaries.

But with the country facing what is arguably its single-biggest challenge since independence in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic, that timeline might be stretched to depart from precedent. Or not.

Speaking to reporters on 28 March, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, “I think that we have to weigh conducting an election under abnormal circumstances, against going into a storm with a mandate which is reaching the end of its term.

“We have to make a decision on that. I would not rule any possibility out,” Lee said, noting that Israel held an election recently and that primary elections in many US states also have gone ahead.

Meanwhile, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament on 25 March that safety precautions can be taken for the campaign period leading up to the polls — such as live streaming speeches on the Internet.

“For voting, we already have special express lanes for seniors and those who need them. We can also have social distancing in queuing, proper hand hygiene for voting paraphernalia, hand sanitisers for voters,” he said.

“We will learn from the experiences of other countries that are holding elections, even during this ongoing COVID-19 outbreak,” Teo added.

And on Tuesday (7 April), the Parliamentary Elections (COVID-19 Special Arrangements) Bill was introduced in Parliament. It will allow the Elections Department (ELD) to implement temporary arrangements to ensure the safety of voters, candidates and election officials, in the event that a general election is called amid the outbreak.

For the next GE, there will be 93 parliamentary seats up for grabs, compared with 89 currently. There will be 17 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and 14 Single-Member Constituencies (SMCs), up from the current 16 GRCs and 13 SMCs.

Here’s a look at who’s eyeing which wards so far.

The Workers’ Party: the only Opposition in Parliament

The Workers’ Party (WP) currently holds seats in the five-member Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC. It contested Sengkang West, Fengshan and Punggol East SMCs in the previous election, but all have since been absorbed into GRCs. At the last polls, the WP lost by fewer than 10 per cent of votes in Fengshan and Punggol East.

In a statement after the release of the new boundaries on 13 March, the WP said, “The EBRC (Electoral Boundaries Review Committee) has not explained why it chose to carve out some new SMCs while dissolving Sengkang West, Fengshan and Punggol East SMCs, areas where WP has been active for many years.”

Nonetheless, the party is keeping its cards close to its chest. It added, “The WP will decide on the areas where it can best serve Singaporeans, and make its announcement when the elections are called.”

Last Wednesday (1 April), The Straits Times identified more than a handful of potential new party candidates: economics associate professor Jamus Lim, equity analyst Louis Chua, lawyer Fadli Fawzi, IT professional Peter Tan, long-time party member Nathaniel Koh, former National Solidarity Party candidate Nicole Seah, and Raeesah Khan, who is the founder of civic and social organisation Reyna Movement.

The national broadsheet also said that party members have been spotted on the ground in the following GRCs: Marine Parade, East Coast and Sengkang.

Progress Singapore Party: new but ambitious

The Progress Singapore Party (PSP), helmed by veteran politician and former parliamentarian Tan Cheng Bock, held its official launch in August last year and conducted walkabouts the following month. In January, party members conducted door-to-door visits at West Coast GRC, which includes the area formerly under single-seat ward Ayer Rajah, where Dr Tan was MP for 26 years over six terms.

According to a report by The Straits Times on 18 March, Tan is set to contest in that GRC, and his party is eyeing a total of seven SMCs and eight GRCs, having identified 44 candidates with another 13 in reserve.

The long list of constituencies the country’s youngest political party is ambitiously eyeing comprise: Jurong, Chua Chu Kang, Tanjong Pagar, Jalan Besar, Bishan-Toa Payoh, Nee Soon, and Sembawang GRCs along with Hong Kah North, Yuhua, Pioneer, Radin Mas, Kebun Baru, Marymount and Yio Chu Kang SMCs.

Other Opposition parties: eyeing familiar ground

Meanwhile, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) is reportedly looking to contest in the same constituencies as it did in GE 2015 - Tampines and Sembawang GRCs, as well as Pioneer and MacPherson SMCs.

Its secretary-general Spencer Ng will reportedly contest in Sembawang while its president Reno Fong will contest in Tampines. Apart from them, no other candidate has been named.

Similarly, the Reform Party is looking at familiar territory. In a Facebook post on 21 March, the party said, “This coming General Election, The Reform Party will pick up from where we left off and will continue to serve the residents by contesting in West Coast GRC, Ang Mo Kio GRC and Radin Mas SMC.”

The Singapore People’s Party (SPP) is likewise returning to constituencies where it previously contested — Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and Potong Pasir, Marymount and Mountbatten SMCs.

SPP chairman Jose Raymond will reportedly stand for election in Potong Pasir, while secretary-general Steve Chia will contest in Bishan-Toa Payoh.

The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA)’s chairman Desmond Lim Bak Chuan has said that he will stand in Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC, where he also stood in 2015 and 2006.

The three other parties that contested in GE 2015 - the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), the People's Power Party (PPP) and Singaporeans First (SingFirst) - have not made public the constituencies they are eyeing.

A new party, The Peoples Voice (PV), may also contest in the GE. In a Facebook post on 23 September last year, party founder and lawyer Lim Tean said the party, which was set up the previous year, was “doing intensive ground work” in the following constituencies: Mountbatten and Pioneer SMCs, as well as Jalan Besar, Chua Chu Kang, Pasir Ris-Punggol and Tanjong Pagar GRCs.

People’s Action Party: new candidates on walkabouts

In the days after the release of the electoral boundaries on 13 March, more than a dozen new faces were seen spotted on walkabouts with MPs from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), according to The Straits Times.

Among them are Singapore’s first female brigadier general Gan Siow Huang; DBS bank managing director Derrick Goh; state investment firm Temasek director Shawn Ingkiriwang; Changi Airport Group vice-president Poh Li San; LinkedIn head Alvin Tan; Alexandra Hospital head Xie Yao Quan; former chief executive of IHH Healthcare Dr Tan See Leng; consultancy firm Rohei’s chief executive Rachel Ong Sin Yen; charity founder Carrie Tan; polytechnic lecturer Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah; Islamic Religious Council of Singapore deputy chief executive Fahmi Aliman; and lawyers Raymond Lye, Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, Kawal Pal Singh and Alex Yeo.

Gan, 45, was seen in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC while Goh, 51, and Carrie Tan, 37, founder of Daughters of Tomorrow, were seen in Nee Soon GRC.

In Jurong GRC, Ingkiriwang, 37, and Xie, 35, who is head of healthcare redesign at Alexandra Hospital, were seen on walkabouts.

Poh, 45, was seen in Sembawang GRC while Alvin Tan, 39, LinkedIn’s Asia-Pacific head of public policy and economics was seen in both Tanjong Pagar and Jalan Besar GRCs.

Meanwhile, Lye, 54, and Dr Wan Rizal, 41, were seen in the new Sengkang GRC. Dr Wan Rizal was also seen in Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC.

In Marine Parade GRC, three new faces were seen: Dr Tan Lee Seng, 55, Fahmi, 47, and Singh, 36.

Ong, 47, was seen in West Coast GRC, while Zhulkarnain, 39, was seen in Chua Chu Kang GRC.

Last Wednesday (1 April), the national broadsheet identified a further six potential candidates: Boston Consulting Group partner and managing director Mariam Jaafar; UOB senior vice-president Don Wee; Keppel Offshore & Marine general manager Ivan Lim; Singapore Aero Services' vice-president Sharael Mohd Taha; Caregiver Asia chief executive Yeo Wan Ling; and Timbre Group managing director Edward Chia.

Mariam, 43, was seen in Sembawang GRC while Wee and Yeo, both also 43, were seen in Chua Chu Kang GRC.

Meanwhile, Lim, 42, was spotted in both Tanjong Pagar and Jurong GRCs.

Sharael, 38, was seen in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC while Chia, 36, was seen in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

As of 15 April last year, there were 2,594,740 registered voters. The EBRC report can be found at the Elections Department’s website or here.

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