S'pore dissolves parliament, to hold elections on Nov. 3
S'pore dissolves parliament, to hold elections on Nov. 3
Agencies, Singapore
Singapore, which is struggling through a severe economic crisis, will hold general elections on Nov. 3, the government said on Thursday.
The announcement came about an hour after a government statement said President S.R. Nathan, on advice of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, dissolved the legislature.
Nomination day - the day when candidates are announced for each constituency - will be on Oct. 25. Most seats have gone uncontested in the past two elections, allowing the ruling Peoples' Action Party to win on nomination day.
Goh left the city-state Thursday for the meeting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.
The government does not officially finish its five-year term until August 2002, but analysts and opposition leaders had been expecting an early election in the wake of bad economic news.
Singapore - a small but wealthy trade-dependent Southeast Asian island nation - is experiencing its worst economic slump.
Opposition candidate James Gomez said the gloomy state of the economy will be the biggest election issue.
Singapore slipped into recession earlier this year, and the government now says the economy will contract by 3 percent this year, after 9.9 percent growth last year.
The economy was hurt by a fall in demand for electronics - its major export - especially in its biggest market, the United States. Singapore's economic woes have been made worse by the sharp downturn in consumer confidence following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and Washington's military response.
After unveiling a S$11.3 billion (US$6.2 billion) stimulus package last week, the government announced redrawn electoral boundaries on Wednesday. Voter rolls opened last month.
"They have just released their off-budget measures to help Singaporeans," said National University of Singapore political science professor Lee Lai To.
"The economy is not doing well and there will be all sorts of economic problems ahead, so this is probably the opportune time for the party in power to have a general election."
Gomez said he is confident the opposition can muster enough votes to take more than the two seats it won at the last poll because people are unhappy that they are heading into poverty.
He said the election has been called at a crucial time.
"The people have an opposition to do what they want - all the checks and balances in Parliament. The opposition is going into the election with the new poor," said Gomez.
Candidates can only begin campaigning after nominations close on Oct. 25. Social Democratic Party secretary general Chee Soon Juan said this is done mainly through political rallies.
"In eight days you can't knock on many doors," said Chee, adding that he will not be doing any television campaigns.
The ruling People's Action Party has held power in the island republic since 1959, winning 10 elections in a row. It is expected to dominate again.
Critics say the government control of the media limits the rise of the opposition in Singapore.
"You don't go in knowing you stand a fair chance of winning but we have to keep the (democracy) process going," said the Social Democratic Party's Chee.
It also set out new rules for Internet use during the election, allowing photographs of candidates, calls for members and chat rooms but banning opinion polls and appeals for funds.
Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong -- also chairman of the central bank and son of Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister -- introduced four new candidates on Thursday and said the PAP would publish its manifesto on Friday.