Singaporeans start casting vote amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Singapore, July 10 : After months of campaigning amidst the most challenging conditions owing to the pandemic outbreak, Singaporeans went to poll on Friday. The voting process is to last for 12 hours starting from 8 am.
To counter the risk of disease transmission, a few procedural steps have been taken in this year's election as reported by the South China Morning Post.
The number of polling stations has been increased from 880 to 1,100 from the last elections in order to reduce overcrowding. Social distancing measures are being enforced by polling officials. Young and old voters have been assigned different times to cast their votes. Voters are being provided with sanitisers upon arrival and those with higher than average body temperatures are being turned away.
The present government's term was due to end in January of this year.
After the conclusion of the poll campaigning on Wednesday (July 8), the consensus among local analysts was that People's Action Party will comfortably extend its 61-year rule of Singapore.
The vote is being conducted by the casting of ballot papers with voters putting a cross mark next to the names of their preferred candidate.