SINGAPORE – Five opposition parties have staked their claims on various constituencies ahead of Singapore’s next general election on the same day that the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report was released on March 11.
Already, there are four Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) and four Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) where more than one opposition party has said they are prepared to contest in the upcoming polls, due by November.
The five parties are the National Solidarity Party (NSP), People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR), People’s Power Party (PPP), Red Dot United (RDU), and the Singapore People’s Party (SPP).
The newly created Jalan Kayu SMC has had the most interest, with three parties – PAR, PPP and RDU – saying they will contest there.
The other electoral districts with overlapping claims are the SMCs of Radin Mas, Potong Pasir and the new Tampines Changkat, and the GRCs of Jalan Besar, Nee Soon, Tampines and Tanjong Pagar.
Overall, at least 11 SMCs and 10 GRCs will be contested at the next election based on what has been said so far, though the parties also said these were preliminary announcements.
The Workers’ Party (WP), Progress Singapore Party and Singapore Democratic Party have not yet said where they intend to contest.
Analysts had earlier told The Straits Times that an unprecedented number of multi-cornered fights could feature in GE2025, though the staking of early claims by opposition parties should be seen as a strategy to secure bargaining chips for the inevitable horse-trading exercise that takes place once electoral boundaries are set.
PAR, an alliance formed by Peoples Voice (PV), the Reform Party (RP) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said it will contest the new Jalan Kayu SMC, as that was part of Ang Mo Kio GRC in which PAR’s component party, RP, had contested for the last three general elections.
The alliance will also be contesting the new Queenstown SMC, which was carved out of Tanjong Pagar GRC where PV has been active since 2018, said its secretary-general, Mr Lim Tean. This new SMC also borders Radin Mas SMC, which has been contested by RP for the past two polls, he added.
In all, Mr Lim said PAR will contest two GRCs and eight SMCs.
In a statement, RDU expressed “deep disappointment” with the EBRC report, which it said drastically altered the political landscape in the west of Singapore, particularly Jurong GRC where the party had built strong relationships with residents over the years.
Jurong GRC will be split into four constituencies for the upcoming polls.
For now, RDU intends to contest in Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Jurong Central SMC, Nee Soon GRC, Jalan Kayu SMC, Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC.
The party said it will engage in discussions with other opposition parties to understand their election intentions. “Our best efforts will be made to avoid three-cornered fights, which would only benefit the ruling party,” it added
Mr Goh Meng Seng, secretary-general of the PPP, said his party is prepared to contest Tampines GRC, Tampines Changkat SMC, Nee Soon GRC, Ang Mo Kio GRC and Jalan Kayu SMC.
On the EBRC report, he said it is “nothing short of massive gerrymandering in plain sight”.
NSP secretary-general Spencer Ng made a similar comment about the boundary changes, adding that his party intends to contest seven constituencies, including Tampines and Jalan Besar GRCs, as well as Tampines Changkat and Sembawang West SMCs.
Mr Desmond Lim, chairman of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), said the splitting up Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC is expected to have a “significant impact” on the party’s plans.
Noting that the new Punggol GRC is centred around the former Punggol West SMC, which the WP contested in 2020, he said SDA will speak “honestly and sincerely” with the WP about the boundary changes.
The Singapore People’s Party (SPP) said it is prepared to contest Potong Pasir SMC and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, where it stood in 2020. “We’ll need some time to review the report and its recommendations before providing a detailed response,” it added.
Join ST’s WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.