Singapore, June 24: Amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, general elections will be held in Singapore on July 10. Singapore President Halimah Yacob on Tuesday dissolved Parliament, paving the way for the general elections in July. Here it may be noted that the next general elections could have been held as late as April 2021. However, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is adamant on seeking a fresh mandate.

While opposition parties and rights groups in Singapore have slammed PM Lee Hsien Loong for "risking people's lives" by calling for snap polls, the Prime Minister is of the view that the COVID-19 situation is relatively stable and general elections will "clear the decks" and give the new government a fresh, full five-year mandate. This will be the 13th general elections in Singapore since its independence. Singapore May Take Years to Recover From Effects of COVID-19, Says Deputy PM Heng Swee Keat.

Singapore General Elections Schedule - Polling And Result Date:

Candidates can submit nominations on June 30. There will be nine nomination centres. Candidates will get the minimum of nine days to campaign before Cooling-off Day on July 9, The Straits Times reported. July 10, polling day will be a public holiday. The election results will be out by midnight. A sample count will be conducted in the early stages of the counting process to get an indication of a possible result for an electoral division.

The sample count results will be published on the ELD website while counting is underway. Voters will also have a rough indication of the results from 9:30 pm. After the counting of votes is over, the election results will be announced live on television by the Returning Officer and published in the Singapore Government Gazette.

Singapore General Elections - Political Game:

In the general elections, a total of 93 seats are up for grab in 17 group representation constituencies and 14 single-member constituencies across Singapore. The election is likely to again see the People's Action Party (PAP) challenged for all seats - as the ruling party was in 2015, said The Straits Times report. The announcement of snap polls came at a time when Singapore is heading towards its worst-ever recession in nearly two decades as the country faces severe economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus Outbreak in Singapore:

Singapore on Tuesday reported 119 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 42,432. Of the total cases, 35,995 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities. At least 26 patients have succumbed to the virus so far in the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2020 05:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).