Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called for an election on July 10, demanding the dissolution of parliament and his brother's protest.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has rescinded parliament for elections on July 10, as long as they are held, and fight the city-state coronavirus epidemic.
The city-state lifted the most coronavirus ban four days after parliament's late repeal on Tuesday and tried to use the window of silence before the epidemic worsened.
On Wednesday morning, the prime minister's brother, Li Hsien Yang, announced that he would join the opposition party to contest the election, but has not yet decided whether he will stand as a candidate.
Prime Minister Lee said the country should be prepared for the upheaval, citing a resurgence in cases that have started in some countries.
He said that Singapore had not yet realized the full extent of the economic downturn, and therefore the possibility of higher trade and higher unemployment.
"The long fight is ahead," Tawi said in a speech.
"Now that things are relatively stable, elections will clear the deck and give the new government a full five-year mandate. Then it can focus on this national agenda and make tough decisions to take and maintain it."
Lee's People's Action Party (PAP), which has been in power continuously since 1959, is widely expected to hold its majority in parliament, currently holding 83 seats out of 89.
Solid Ruling Block
Singapore was initially identified as a virus model, but in a country with a population of just 5.8 million, the number of cases exceeds 42,000, one of the highest rates of infection in Asia, with most of those associated with hostels having foreign migrant workers.
Lee said there was a decline in infections in the dormitories and outside cases were stabilized.
He said he decided to hold the election so there was "no guarantee" that the epidemic would end by April next month.
In a report released on June 16, Asian human rights MPs said smaller parties were more likely to suffer from measures taken to reduce the risk of coronavirus.
The group, which includes MPs from all over Southeast Asia, reported to the Prime Minister's Office that Singapore's election campaign, which usually runs for only 11 days, had candidate registration fees high, was a problem in the city - multi-state constituencies were complicated. .
As a result of the epidemic, the government has said it will not allow political rallies and will allocate time slots for voters to cast their ballots on election day.
"There is a reason PAP won every election since 1959," Teddy Baguult Jr., executive director and former Philippines MP, said during the release of the report. "The whole process is in its favor."
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