Two days ago, DPM Heng Swee Keat revealed that “the sooner GE comes, the sooner Singapore can rally together to solve the real problems“.
And now, experts have stepped forward to say that the Singapore General Elections 2020 is likely to happen in July 2020.
In-Line With Reopening Phases
On 28 May, several political analysts that TODAY spoke to says it’s “highly likely” that GE is going to happen in July 2020.
During end-June, Singapore might be entering the second phase of reopening.
This phase is when CB truly ends as “small-scale” social gatherings are permitted again, including the option to dine out, limited to groups of five.
By holding the elections during this phase, it won’t be seen as putting public safety at risk, law lecturer Eugene Tan from the Singapore Management University said.
Political scientist Woo Jun Jie also pointed out that during this “more relaxed phase”, political candidates are able to carry out “some form of campaigning”.
GE Could Happen During The School Break In July
Dr Felix Tan, an associate lecturer at SIM Global Education said that we might see Parliament dissolved after its net sitting on 4 June.
If the parliament is really dissolved, he estimates that Nomination Day could come in two weeks, and candidates will be given one or two weeks to campaign.
Following this timeline, it’s likely that Polling Day could fall on mid-July.
Some also agreed that there is a good chance that Polling Day could happen during the school break in July 2020 because most school facilities can be free up to be used as polling stations.
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It’s Not Set In Stone, Though
Will the elections happen even earlier?
It’s not likely, according to the analysts. After all, holding the elections at a period when safe distancing rules are enforced strictly might backfire on the government.
But will it definitely be in July?
That’s also not a guarantee.
On 28 May, Mr Lawrence Wong, in his daily briefing, gave the good news about the possibility of an early entry into Phase Two.
On the flip side, he also pointed out that should numbers skyrocket, Phase Two could be delayed until mid-July.
If that happens, Dr Woo says, the government might push elections back to August or September this year.
Dr Koh of IPS also said that the National Day Rally is a good platform for them to showcase how Singaporeans have survived through this period.
However, she said that it’s unlikely that GE will be held at the end of the year, unless the Covid-19 community numbers shoot up.
November is the United States’ presidential election and typically, the PAP government wants to hold their elections in times with fewer uncertainties.
Not Much Is Made Clear Yet
Opposition parties have spoken out about the situation, asking for the usual 9-day campaigning to be extended to 21 days.
They have also asked for clarifications on how campaigning will be modified.
While it is clear that we will see more online rallies than offline, rules about how to campaign with safe distancing measures have not been revealed yet.
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