Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said he is discussing with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong regarding when will Singapore hold its next general election, The Straits Times reported on March 11.

Heng, who is also the finance minister, said holding an election in the midst of the Covid-19 situation has not been ruled out.

He said that the elections have to be called before April 2021, so "we cannot deviate from that".

"What we must do is to create the condition that will allow us to manage this situation to the best of our ability", he said.

Heng's remarks on the general election were made on Wednesday, March 11, to reporters of Singapore Press Holdings at a roundtable discussion, which was organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times, and in an interview with SPH radio station Money FM 89.3.

Covid-19 outbreak could last till year-end

When asked if an election under such circumstances has been considered, and if measures to protect public health were being looked into by the Elections Department, Heng said: "We are looking at all possibilities."

He added: "We need to respect our Constitution and make sure that election rules are properly followed."

"But if there's a need for us to adopt measures to achieve the same objective, then we'll have to look at the appropriate measures that will allow our people to express their views, cast their votes."

He said it is likely the Covid-19 outbreak will last until at least the end of the year.

Timing of general election dependent on weathering economic challenges

Heng also said the timing of the general election is conditional on Singapore's ability to overcome the challenges to its economy presented by a worsening Covid-19 situation.

He gave this response when asked by reporters if an election will be called sooner or later.

"If you have big challenges ahead, then surely you want to be able to spend time on these challenges," Heng said.

Discussing general election date with PM Lee

Heng also revealed that he is in talks with PM Lee about when the general election will be held.

"Therefore the key question is, will the challenges be greater now or will the challenges be greater a year from now?"

"So it depends on our assessment of the situation and I'm discussing (this) with the PM. PM will set out his thinking."

Ability to deal with virus a major factor in calling for election

Heng also said the government's ability to deal with the Covid-19 situation is key.

"It's important that we have all the management attention to deal with this, and I'm afraid the management attention we need to deal with this will get more challenged in the months ahead because the situation is so fluid, so dynamic,” he said.

"We need to be able to respond as fully as we can as a country and as a people to this very major uncertainty to our lives as well as our livelihood because we don't know how the global economy will pan out."

He added: "We need to be prepared for the worst, and I hope we will have the conditions to allow us to do that. And that will be a very major factor in deciding on when we call the election."

He also said the government's focus at the moment is on containing the outbreak and its impact on the economy.

Top photo via Heng Swee Keat Facebook page