The next General Election in Singapore is likely to happen in July 2020.
Professional political analysts interviewed by the Chinese and English media have come up with their hot takes on the available windows for an election to be held.
At the moment, the most likely slot for a GE to happen appears to be in mid-July or end-July.
Mid-July GE
This period will coincide with the transitioning out of the circuit breaker period into the second phase of the re-opening of Singapore's economy, when more social activities will have resumed, and all students will be returning to schools.
Phase one starts on June 2, and will likely last until July 2.
Moreover, phase two could also happen slightly earlier before the end of June, if the infection numbers remain low and stable particularly in the first two weeks of June.
When phase two rolls around, political campaigning can resume, but mass rallies might not be possible -- to the detriment of opposition political parties.
Parliament could be dissolved right after its next sitting on June 4, after Members of Parliament debate the fourth Fortitude Budget.
After which, it could take about two weeks to get to Nomination Day, and a week or two for campaigning.
This means Polling Day could be in the middle of July.
End-July GE
GE may also occur during the school break in July.
A one-week mid-term break from July 20 to 26 was added into the calendar recently.
School buildings can be used to prepare polling stations when no students are around.
June GE possible, but less likely
Holding a GE in June could happen but there are health and political risks.
A June GE will be during the first phase of the economy’s re-opening, but it might be deemed to be putting people's lives at risk.
August or September GE
Another large Covid-19 cluster in early June could push phase two back further to mid-July.
This could lead to GE being held in August or September period.
Holding the GE after National Day in August could also be a possibility as it is an opportunity for the ruling party to consolidate its achievements.
Any later though, a GE appears less likely.
The United States presidential election will be held in November 2020, so any GE in Singapore that coincides with that major event might lead to run-ins with uncertainty on the global front.
Current rules and practices
Parliament will have to be dissolved by January 2021.
The GE must be held before April 14, 2021.
Under election rules, GE must be held within three months after the dissolution of Parliament.
When a writ of election is issued on the same day, Nomination Day has to be held between five days and a month.
Polling Day will then have to be set between 10 and 56 days later.
However, the writ of election can be issued as late as two months after the dissolution of Parliament, according to the Constitution and the Parliamentary Elections Act.
Traditionally, a GE is held 17 days after Parliament is dissolved.
Top photo by Gerald Chan