The long-awaited General Election has officially been called, with the Polling Day set to be held on 10 July, Friday, and the Nomination Day on 30 June, Tuesday.
The revelation of the election date came after President Halimah Yacob dissolved the Parliament and issued the Writ of Election earlier today (23 June) on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
According to the law, the Polling Day (10 July) will be made a public holiday.
The Cooling-off Day will be on 9 July, Thursday.
The dissolution of Parliament comes three months after the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) released its report on the modified electoral map on 13 March 2020.
This will be the 14th General Election in Singapore.
A total of 14 Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) and 17 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) will be contested in the upcoming General Election, with a total of 93 Parliamentary seats up for grabs.
12 political parties are looking at contesting in the election.
An estimated 2.65 million eligible voters – up from 2.46 million in 2015- will head to the polls.
“A general election now, when things are relatively stable, will clear the decks and give the Government a fresh five-year mandate,” said PM Lee on his Facebook page, adding that the Government will then be able to “focus on the agenda of recovery, and the difficult decisions that will have to be made”.
Due to concerns on safety given the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic still at large, he assured that the Elections Department will enforce a number of added precautions for Polling Day – which will be held on 10 July, Friday.
“There will be more polling stations to reduce crowding. Voters will be given specific time slots for voting. Seniors will also be given priority to vote before others,” assured PM Lee.
Noting that this General Election will not be the same as before, he asserted that the new Government will have critical decisions to make “which will impact and influence” the lives and livelihoods of Singaporeans.
“These decisions will shape Singapore for many years to come, far beyond the five-year term of the next Government. I have every confidence you will think carefully, and vote wisely, to secure our lives, our jobs and our future,” added PM Lee.
