Crisis management power if arrival of overseas votes delayed
19.—(1) The Returning Officer may exercise the crisis management power in paragraph (2) if the Returning Officer —
(a)
has made a declaration under section 49(7)(b) or (7E)(b) of the Act in respect of an election in an electoral division; and
(b)
is of the opinion that —
(i)
one or more sealed ballot boxes containing votes cast at an overseas polling station are unlikely, for any reason, to reach the custody of the Returning Officer within the period specified in section 56D(3) of the Act; or
(ii)
a substantial number of return envelopes containing postal ballot papers are unlikely, for any reason, to reach the custody of the Returning Officer within the period specified in section 56D(3) of the Act despite being posted before the end of the postal voting period for that election.
(2) The Returning Officer may specify a later date for the purposes of section 56D(3) of the Act.
(3) A later date specified under paragraph (2) must not be later than the 17th day after polling day in Singapore.
(4) If a later date is specified under paragraph (2) —
(a)
the application of section 56C of the Act to that election is to be modified by treating the references to “the expiry of 10 days after polling day in Singapore for the election” in section 56C(1), (2)(a) and (3) of the Act as if they were references to that later date;
(b)
the counting of all overseas votes must be postponed to that later date; and
(c)
the Returning Officer must specify the time and location for the counting of all overseas votes.