List Of Singaporean Electoral Divisions (1972–76)

Constituencies in Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Constituencies, also called the Divisions, are classified as either Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) or Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs). SMCs are single-seat constituencies but GRCs have between four and five seats in Parliament.

Group Representation Constituencies

In 1988, the People's Action Party (PAP) introduced Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) by amending the Parliamentary Elections Act. Currently, the President, acting on the Prime Minister's advice and guided by the Elections Department, can create GRCs of three to five electoral wards. The maximum GRC size has varied: initially three candidates, then four in 1991, reaching six between 1997 and 2020, and subsequently reduced to five from the 2020 elections onwards.

Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) are a type of electoral constituency unique to Singaporean politics. GRCs are multi-member constituencies (divisions) where teams, known as slates or blocks, of candidates from a single party or independents compete for all available seats. In each GRC, at least one candidate or Member of Parliament must be from a minority race: either a Malay, Indian or Other.Hussin Mutalib, 'Constituational-Electoral Reforms and Politics in Singapore', ''Legislative Studies Quarterly'' 21 (2) (2002), p. 665. GRCs operate with a plurality voting system, voting by party slate, meaning that the party or group that wins the plurality of votes within a specific GRC takes all the seats in that particular GRC. Therefore, a party could win a significant number of total votes nationally across all GRCs but still lose individual GRC contests, resulting in them not winning all the GRC slates. The outcome in each GRC depends on the votes cast within that specific constituency. Historically, until 2011, the People's Action Party (PAP) had been winning all GRC seats.Elections types - electoral
accessed 18 Apr 2025.

The official rationale behind GRCs is to guarantee minority representation in Parliament, as argued by former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong who stated it ensures a multiracial composition.

However, opposition parties criticize GRCs for making it harder for non-PAP candidates to win seats. The substantial candidate deposit (ranging from S$4,000 to S$16,000, most recently S$13,500 per candidate) makes contesting GRCs expensive for opposition parties. Furthermore, the presence of Cabinet Ministers in GRCs is seen as a significant advantage for the PAP, a tactic they have strategically employed, such as Goh Chok Tong's focus on the vulnerable Cheng San GRC in 1997.

The opposition has also accused the government of gerrymandering due to last-minute changes in GRC boundaries. Critics point to Joshua Benjamin Jeyaratnam's 1981 victory in a Chinese-majority Anson constituency and argue that minority representation in Parliament has decreased since the GRC system's implementation.

Criticism - boundaries and gerrymandering allegations

The boundaries of electoral constituencies in Singapore are decided by the Elections Department, which is under the control of the Prime Minister's Office.Alex Au Waipang, 'The Ardour of Tokens: Opposition Parties' Struggle to Make a Difference', in T.Chong (eds), '' Management of Success: Singapore Revisited ''(Singapore, 2010), p. 106. Electoral boundaries are generally announced close to elections, usually a few days before the election itself is announced.Diane K. Mauzy and R.S. Milne, '' Singapore Under the People's Action Party ''(London, 2002), p.143. There have been accusations of gerrymandering regarding the redrawing of electoral boundaries and the dissolving of constituencies that return a high percentage of votes for parties other than the ruling PAP.Bilveer Singh, ''Politics and Governance in Singapore: An Introduction ''(Singapore, 2007), p. 172.

One of the cases that is often cited as evidence for gerrymandering in Singapore is the case of the Cheng San Group Representation Constituency (GRC). In the 1997 Singaporean general election, the Cheng San GRC was contested by the PAP and the Workers' Party of Singapore (WP). The final results were close, with the PAP winning with 53,553 votes (54.8%) to the WP's 44,132 votes (45.2%). Cheng San GRC had since dissolved thereafter following the 2001 General Elections. Despite the disadvantages assumed by the opposition party in Singapore, WP was successful in taking over a GRC ( Aljunied GRC) during the 2011 General Elections and later Sengkang GRC in the 2020 General Elections.

Electoral Map (2020–2025)

, the number of electors in the latest Registers of Electors is 2,746,052.

Group Representation Constituencies

Single Member Constituencies

Current Electoral Map (2025–present)

, the number of electors in the latest Registers of Electors is 2,758,095.

Group Representation Constituencies (2025)

Single Member Constituencies

See also

* General elections in Singapore
** Past Singaporean electoral divisions

* Administrative divisions of Singapore
** Subdivisions of Singapore

* Urban planning in Singapore
** Regions of Singapore
** Urban planning areas in Singapore
** List of places in Singapore

* Urban renewal in Singapore
** Future developments in Singapore
** Land reclamation in Singapore

* Geography of Singapore

References

External links

Constituency Boundaries Map
Parliament of Singapore.
Electoral boundaries Map
The Straits Times.
Singapore Constituencies in 2024
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Elections Department, Singapore.

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Singapore
Constituencies