Questions have been raised as to whether Premier Peter Gutwein would use the state's relative success in handling the coronavirus crisis to call an early election in a bid to retain power.

It has been thought an early election would allow Mr Gutwein to set a firm mandate for the government after he took leadership in January.

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Professor Richard Herr said early elections tended to be viewed with cynicism.

"They look like you are trying to avoid bad news later on," he said. "The question everyone would be asking is 'what is the priority here?'."

But Professor Herr said the government could have a chance of a third term before worsening economic conditions related to the pandemic were realised.

He said the government was currently in a strong position, primarily due to the response to coronavirus, which made the Opposition appear weak.

Professor Kate Crowley said suppression of coronavirus, including the possibility of a second of third wave of an outbreak, and the short and medium term economic recovery would play out over the next 12 to 18 months.

She said this would neatly take the government to the scheduled election time.

"Premier Gutwein's approval rating is very high because of his handling of the coronavirus response," she said.

"I'm thinking he might capitalise on that to get through a difficult mid-term agenda that would include the planning reforms and other reforms that aren't quite popular.

There is a lot to be done between now and the next election."

The last time an early election was called was in 1998 when then-premier Tony Rundle believed a coalition arrangement with the Greens had fallen apart.

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