Singapore all set for July polls despite lingering Covid-19 pandemic concerns.

S’pore PM announces July polls despite lingering pandemic concerns

SINGAPORE Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (pic) has called for early general elections despite the coronavirus, saying the outbreak has stabilised and there is no assurance that it will be over by next April, when the current government’s term ends.

Parliament was dissolved to pave the way for the polls, which the Elections Department said would be held on July 10.

Nomination Day will be on June 30, with a minimum of nine days to campaign before a cooling-off day on July 9.

Yesterday’s announcement came just four days after the city-state lifted most coronavirus restrictions, and appeared to be an attempt to take advantage of a quiet window before a possible worsening of the pandemic’s impact.

Lee said the country must prepare for ups and downs, noting that there had been a resurgence in cases in some countries that had reopened.

He also said Singapore had not felt the full brunt of the economic fallout yet, so there would be more business closures and higher unemployment.

“A long struggle lies ahead,” he said in a televised speech.

“An election now when things are relatively stable will clear the decks and give the new government a fresh full five-year mandate. It can then focus on this national agenda and the difficult decisions it will have to make and to carry.”

Singapore was initially hailed as a model for containing the virus, but cases in the country of only 5.8 million people then soared to more than 42,000, one of the highest infection rates in Asia, with most linked to dormitories used to house foreign migrant workers.

Lee said infections in the dorms had declined, while cases outside the dorms had stabilized.

He said he decided to hold elections now because there was “no assurance” that the pandemic will end by next April.

Despite a ban on rallies, he said political parties could still campaign effectively and voters could cast ballots safely, citing examples in recent elections held in South Korea, Taiwan and several European countries.

Lee said more polling stations would be set up, voters would be allocated time slots to cast their ballots to prevent crowds, senior citizens would be given priority and safe distancing rules would be observed. Lee’s People’s Action Party, in power since 1959, is widely expected to keep its overwhelming majority in Parliament, where it currently holds 83 out of the 89 seats.

The test will be whether it can retain the 69.9% share of the vote it received in 2015.

The election is also pivotal for Lee, 69, who plans to retire and hand over power to a new crop of leaders.

“This general election will be like no other that we have experienced. Not just because of the special arrangements to deal with Covid19, but because of the gravity of the situation and the issues at stake,” Lee said.

He urged voters to “vote wisely to secure our lives, our jobs, and our future”.