> 15:00 20Apr2006 RTRS-SINGAPORE PRESIDENT DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT - GOVT
> 15:04 20Apr2006 RTRS-Singapore dissolves parliament, election imminent
>
> SINGAPORE, April 20 (Reuters) - Singapore's government dissolved
> parliament on Thursday, paving the way for an imminent parliamentary
> election which will be the first real test of Prime Minister Lee Hsien
> Loong's leadership.
> Lee, eldest son of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, was appointed
> to the post in August 2004. He has been deputy prime minister since 1990.
> The ruling People's Action Party, which has dominated parliament since
> independence in 1965, had been widely expected to go to the polls before
> the June 2007 deadline to take advantage of the strength of the economy.
> ((SINGAPORE-ELECTION-DISSOLUTION; reporting by Fayen Wong, editing by
> Geert De Clercq; Singapore Newsroom, +65 6870 3046,
>
[email protected]))
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> Thursday, 20 April 2006 15:00:08RTRS [nSFA001696] {EN}ENDS
>
>
>
> Election hot dates
> By Lynn Lee
> April 19, 2006
> And for it to fall on the widely speculated May 6, there will have to be
> two announcements tomorrow: on the dissolution of Parliament and the writ
> of election, a document that sets out Nomination Day.
> By law, Nomination Day must be held at least five working days, or at most
> one month, after the date of the writ. Campaigning then follows, spanning
> a minimum of nine days or up to eight weeks, before Polling Day is held.
> Going by previous polls, the Government usually opts for the minimum
> campaigning period.
> If the writ of election is issued tomorrow, the earliest that Nomination
> Day can be held is next Thursday. A nine-day campaign period would mean
> Polling Day is May 6, a Saturday.
> But the earliest polls that can be held from today will be on May 5. For
> that to happen, the writ and dissolution of Parliament need to occur
> today.
> The week of May 8 to 11 is also a possibility, as there is no rule that
> limits polls to weekends.
> In the last six elections, polling day fell on a weekday twice - a Tuesday
> in 1980 and a Thursday in 1997. Saturday was the big day for the 1984,
> 1988, 1991 and 2001 elections.
> The early May dates tie in with remarks by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
> that the time is right for polls and with comments by Senior Minister Goh
> Chok Tong that polls will likely take place in the first two weeks of May.
> The second weekend in May seems unlikely, as Vesak Day falls on May 12, a
> Friday, and Singaporeans tend to go abroad on long holiday weekends.
> Party stalwarts are waiting with bated breath for this week's expected
> announcement. The run-up to Nomination Day will include finalising
> campaign plans, making last-minute changes to line-ups and reprinting
> posters and banners if necessary, say MPs interviewed.
> Said MP Irene Ng, of the five-member Tampines GRC team, which is likely to
> face off with a team from the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA): 'We are
> eager, and ready to go.'
> Said incumbent Bukit Panjang MP Teo Ho Pin, who is likely to go up against
> Singapore Democratic Party <
http://www.singaporedemocrat.org> 's Ling How
> Doong: 'Our outreach to residents is already going on. When the time
> comes, I'll firm up plans with my 50 election committee members and boost
> morale among our over 150 supporters. Together we will gear up for a
> fight.'
> The SDA, a union of four opposition parties, will hold a press conference
> to introduce its candidates. Said SDA chairman and veteran Potong Pasir MP
> Chiam See Tong: 'It will be on the day of the writ, or the following day.'