Elections Department
Encyclopedia
The Elections Department is a department of the government of Singapore
that oversees the procedure for elections in Singapore
, including parliamentary elections
and presidential elections
. It sees that elections are fairly carried out and has a supervisory role to safeguard against electoral fraud
. It has the power to create constituencies and redistrict
them, with the justification of preventing malapportionment.
Although the President of Singapore
has the authority to create group representation constituencies of Singapore
from several electoral wards, the Elections Department is generally the government authority which advises the President on which constituencies are created, and which constituencies are redistricted.
The Elections Department is supposedly a neutral and impartial entity, but the opposition parties in the politics of Singapore
question whether there are true, clear separation of powers
between the current ruling party of Singapore, the People's Action Party
(PAP), and the Elections Department.
The Elections Department is under the office of the Prime Minister of Singapore
, and is able to draw polling districts and polling sites with pinpoint precision. Opposition leaders such as Chee Soon Juan
of the Singapore Democratic Party
(SDP) accuse the Elections Department of not being politically separate
from the ruling party. This, the opposition argues, leads to intentional carrying out of gerrymandering
on behalf of the PAP, like in the cases of Cheng San GRC and Eunos GRC. It is unlike an Electoral Commission
in most other Commonwealth
countries which is clearly independent of the ruling government. The redrawing has been mocked on a widespread basis, including satire websites such as TalkingCock.com. This criticism and mocking is thought to partially due to the electoral boundaries being redrawn shortly before each election, often with the creation of new single member constituencies, or the merging of single member constituencies into group representation constituencies.
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
that oversees the procedure for elections in Singapore
Elections in Singapore
There are currently two types of elections in Singapore: parliamentary and presidential elections.While the Constitution of Singapore does not specify exactly when elections need to be held, Parliamentary or General Elections are generally 5 years apart, while Presidential elections are generally...
, including parliamentary elections
Parliamentary elections in Singapore
Parliamentary elections in Singapore must be held within three months after five years have elapsed from the date of the first sitting of a particular Parliament of Singapore. However, in most cases Parliament is dissolved and a general election called at the behest of the Prime Minister before the...
and presidential elections
Presidential elections in Singapore
Presidential elections in Singapore, in which the President of Singapore is directly elected by popular vote, were introduced through amendments to the Constitution of Singapore in 1991. Potential candidates for office have to fulfil stringent qualifications set out in the Constitution....
. It sees that elections are fairly carried out and has a supervisory role to safeguard against electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
. It has the power to create constituencies and redistrict
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
them, with the justification of preventing malapportionment.
Although the President of Singapore
President of Singapore
The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
has the authority to create group representation constituencies of Singapore
Constituencies of Singapore
Constituencies in Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Constituencies are classified as either single member or group representation constituencies...
from several electoral wards, the Elections Department is generally the government authority which advises the President on which constituencies are created, and which constituencies are redistricted.
The Elections Department is supposedly a neutral and impartial entity, but the opposition parties in the politics of Singapore
Politics of Singapore
The politics of Singapore takes the form of a parliamentary republic whereby the President of Singapore is the head of state, the Prime Minister of Singapore is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the cabinet. Cabinet has the general direction and...
question whether there are true, clear separation of powers
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
between the current ruling party of Singapore, the People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
(PAP), and the Elections Department.
The Elections Department is under the office of the Prime Minister of Singapore
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
, and is able to draw polling districts and polling sites with pinpoint precision. Opposition leaders such as Chee Soon Juan
Chee Soon Juan
Chee Soon Juan, PhD is a politician and political activist from Singapore. He is currently the leader of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party ....
of the Singapore Democratic Party
Singapore Democratic Party
The Singapore Democratic Party is an opposition political party in Singapore.The party was founded in 1980 by Chiam See Tong, who as Secretary-General became the party's first Member of Parliament in 1984 when he was elected as MP for Potong Pasir...
(SDP) accuse the Elections Department of not being politically separate
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
from the ruling party. This, the opposition argues, leads to intentional carrying out of gerrymandering
Gerrymandering
In the process of setting electoral districts, gerrymandering is a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan, incumbent-protected districts...
on behalf of the PAP, like in the cases of Cheng San GRC and Eunos GRC. It is unlike an Electoral Commission
Election management body
An election management body or EMB is the authority in a nation charged with administering the electoral process. EMBs can be independent, mixed, judicial or governmental. The EMB may also be responsible for electoral boundary delimitation...
in most other Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
countries which is clearly independent of the ruling government. The redrawing has been mocked on a widespread basis, including satire websites such as TalkingCock.com. This criticism and mocking is thought to partially due to the electoral boundaries being redrawn shortly before each election, often with the creation of new single member constituencies, or the merging of single member constituencies into group representation constituencies.