The Election Department (ELD) has rejected rumours surrounding when the next General Election (GE) will be held.
Responding to Channel 8’s queries, ELD said that contrary to what was said in a text message that has been widely circulated, the next GE will not be held on 21 Sep.
The ELD also refuted other claims made in the text message, namely that Parliament will be dissolved on 31 Aug and that Nomination Day will fall on 10 Sep. The Department also said local teachers did not receive any relevant notice.
ELD added that the government did not make any official announcements regarding when the next GE will be held.
Both the ruling party and the opposition parties are making speculations on when the next GE will be held, and all political parties have actively moved to the grassroots level to increase their exposure.
Earlier last month, Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing revealed that the ERBC for the next election has yet to be formed, indicating that the upcoming GE might not happen in Sep as widely speculated.
PM Lee has yet to convene ERBC for next GE
Mr Chan replied a question raised by WP chief Pritam Singh to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 8 Jul, who wanted to know if PM Lee has established the committee, and if not, when he intends to do so.
In his written response on behalf of PM Lee, Mr Chan wrote: “The Prime Minister has not yet appointed the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee.”
This is the second time that Mr Pritam Singh had raised the question as to when PM Lee will form the committee.
He had earlier posed a similar question back in Feb: “It would be a waste of Parliament’s time, and bordering on an abuse of process, if an MP had to file the same parliamentary question to the Prime Minister when rumours of an imminent election are in the air.”
Although there is no exact deadline for the election date to be announced after the ERBC’s report is made public, the time taken in previous elections has ranged from one day to a month and 26 days.
