192 candidates to compete for 93 seats in Singapore elections

Singapore, July 1 A total of 192 candidates turned up to compete for 93 seats in the upcoming general election in Singapore.

The candidates were representatives from 11 parties, including the ruling People's Action Party and 10 opposition parties on Tuesday, which is the nomination day, Xinhua news agency reported.

They went to nine nomination centres across the country to hand in nomination papers so as to qualify as candidates in the election.

For this year's election, the lion city is divided into 14 single-member constituencies (SMCs) and 17 group representation constituencies (GRCs), representing a combined 93 seats.

Singapore's President Halimah Yacob dissolved the parliament and issue the Writ of Election on June 23. A total 2.65 million eligible voters are expected to cast their votes on the poling day which falls on July 10.

The PAP is the only party with candidates contesting every seat, and they will be challenged in all seats, the second general election in a row that there will be such contests.

Singapore's Prime Minister and Secretary-General of PAP Lee Hsien Loong told reporters that the PAP will fight for every vote. "Every constituency is contested, so this is not a by-election. It's a general election for the most important issues concerning the country at the moment of crisis," he said at the nomination centre at Deyi Secondary School.

This could be Singapore's first general election without physical rallies due to the social distancing measures in the wake of COVID-19.

During the 2015 General Election, the PAP won 69.9 per cent of the votes as well as 83 seats out of the total 89 seats in parliament.

( With inputs from IANS )