Singapore’s election battle lines set as body increases seats, redraws hot wards

Singapore has redrawn its electoral boundaries, expanding the number of parliamentary seats and realigning wards that were previously hotly contested, as the country inches closer to a critical general election.

The changes were announced in a new electoral boundaries report, meant to take into account shifts in voter population, that was released on Tuesday, completing yet another step to the lead-up to a general election that must be held by November.

The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report said there would be 33 electoral divisions in the next election, up from 31 in 2020. Fifteen will be single-seat constituencies, while 18 will be multi-seat ones, up from 14 and 17, respectively.

This will increase the number of seats in parliament to 97 from 93.

Wong will be seeking a mandate for his leadership for the first time since he was selected by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in 2022 to take over from Lee Hsien Loong, son of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.