Singaporeans began voting this Friday, July 10, for legislative elections under strict health control in the city-state of Southeast Asia which hopes to have overcome the epidemic of coronavirus. Meetings were banned during the nine-day campaign, which took place mostly online to avoid the risk of further contamination.
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The polling stations opened at 8:00 local time (00:00 GMT) and began to welcome voters with masks and compulsory gloves. Singaporeans must vote until 8 p.m. local time (12 p.m. GMT) in a strict two-hour time slot that has been allocated to them to respect physical distance. The results are expected on Saturday morning.
The Popular Action Party (PAP), in power since independence in 1959, should keep the majority in the face of divided opposition, but analysts are struggling to predict whether the coronavirus crisis will strengthen or weaken the government of the day. The rich island of Southeast Asia was one of the first countries affected by the coronavirus epidemic due to its close ties to China. But it was a second wave of contamination from the homes of migrant workers in April that most affected her and forced her to establish confinement until mid-June.
"The crisis of a generation"
Singapore has recorded more than 45,000 cases of contamination but a very limited number of deaths. Opposition criticized calling of elections, accusing PAP of being " irresponsible ", but authorities said the country had regained control of the epidemic and that the 2.65 million voters could vote safe.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong considered that the pandemic was " the crisis of a generation " and presented his party as a factor of stability which should allow the city-state to get through this ordeal. The financial and commercial center was hit hard by the economic crisis caused by the pandemic and the government injected nearly 100 billion Singaporean dollars (72 billion dollars) to support the economy.
