(30 Jun 2020) Candidates including the incumbent prime minister who are running for Singapore's general election next month filed their nominations Tuesday during the first day of the campaign.
In-person campaigning will be muted in Singapore, with strict safe social distancing measures and rallies banned due to restrictions imposed to halt the spread of then coronavirus.
Opposition parties have accused the government of putting politics above public safety by holding the polls during the coronavirus pandemic, but Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said polls can be held safely.
Lee's estranged brother is not contesting in next month's general elections but vowed Tuesday to be a "catalyst for change" as campaigning began.
Lee Hsien Yang, who brought his family feud into politics by joining an opposition party, said the governing People's Action Party had "lost its way" from when his father Lee Kuan Yew was prime minister.
Prime Minister Lee told reporters after submitting his candidacy he wasn't worried about his brother's sway over voters.
The elections are expected to be the last for the 68-year-old incumbent and he plans to retire and hand over power to a new crop of leaders.
"As for Mr Lee Hsien Yang, I have no comment. He is entitled to speak, like anybody else. Nowadays with social media, you can have 5-6 million voices on the internet. The public will assess which ones are worth listening to, which ones make sense," the prime minister said.
The PAP, which has ruled Singapore since 1959, has been praised for its economic management but also criticized for muzzling the media and dissenting voices.
It won a landslide victory in 2015 with 69.9% of total votes and swept 83 out of 89 parliamentary seats.
This year, it faces contest in all 93 parliamentary seats but the opposition is fragmented.
More polling centers will be set up for the July 10 elections, and the 2.65 million voters will be given specific time to cast their ballot to reduce crowding, with priority given to senior citizens.
Political parties are now turning to digital campaigns, livestreams and social media to reach voters.
Pritam Singh, the Workers Party Secretary General said the polling is crucial.
The tiny city-state, which has one of the highest infection rates in Asia with over 43,000 cases, earlier this month removed most lockdown restrictions.
Most of infections are linked to foreign workers' dormitories but have since declined, while cases outside the dorms have stabilized.
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