The Singapore Presidential Elections this year could be a multi-cornered fight. Singapore’s presidential hopefuls former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, businessman George Goh and former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song are throwing their hats into the ring, with neither side backing down.
Former NTUC Income CEO Tan Kin Lian has also said that he will participate in this year’s presidential election. Taking a look at the presidential hopefuls in 2023, there is a broader spectrum with contenders from both the public and private sectors.
Nomination day will be on August 22, 2023, and Singaporeans will go to the polls on September 1, 2023, if more than one person qualifies to run for the presidency.
Becoming the president of Singapore comes with certain conditions, including not being convicted of an offence by a court in Singapore or any foreign country and not being an undischarged bankrupt.
For private sector candidates, the qualification criteria are somewhat more financially driven. For example, the candidate must have served as chief executive of a company that must have, on average, at least S$500m shareholders’ equity during the person’s most recent three-year period of service (as chief executive).
This perhaps alludes to the fact that the President of Singapore is a custodian of the wealthy country’s past reserves, and one must be highly competent in handling large sums.
The Role Of Singapore’s President
The president is the country’s head of state and holds an office term of six years. The president has two important roles:
- First as a symbol and unifier of a diverse and multi-racial Singapore
- Second as a custodian to Singapore’s past reserves and the integrity of its public service
When Singapore became an independent nation on August 9, 1965, the seat of the Head of State was renamed the Office of the President. The country’s first four presidents, who held office between 1965 and 1993, were appointed by parliament. The first presidential election was held on August 28, 1993.
The Qualifications For The Office Of The President
A person is qualified to be a candidate for election as president if he or she:
- is a citizen of Singapore
- is at least 45 years old on Nomination Day
- is registered as an elector in the current Registers of Electors
- is resident in Singapore on Nomination Day
- has been a resident in Singapore for a total period of at least 10 years before Nomination Day
- is not subject to any of the disqualifications specified in Article 45 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Constitution)
- is not a member of any political party on Nomination Day
- satisfies the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) that he is a person of integrity, good character and reputation
- satisfies the PEC that he has, at the date of the Writ of Election, met either the public sector service requirement or the private sector service requirement, and the period(s) of service that he relies on fall(s) partly or wholly within the 20 years immediately before the date of the Writ of Election
There are also requirements that a candidate for election as president need to fulfil to qualify and it is different for those who have public sector service records compared with private sector work experience.
The public sector service requirement includes for the person to have:
- held office for three or more years as Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker of Parliament, Attorney-General, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Auditor-General, Accountant-General or Permanent Secretary;
- served for three years or more as the chief executive of an entity specified in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution;
- served for three or more years in an office in the public sector for which the PEC must be satisfied, having regard to the nature of the office and the person’s performance, that he has the experience and ability comparable to a person who satisfies the public sector service requirement in the conditions. The PEC must also be satisfied that he has the experience and ability to effectively carry out the functions and duties of the office of President; OR
- held office or served for two periods of at least one year each in any of the above-mentioned offices, and the two periods add up to three or more years in total.
What Are The Private Sector Requirements To Be An Eligible Presidential Candidate
The details to be eligible to be a candidate for election under the private sector service requirement is comprehensive.
The person has to have served as the chief executive of a company and has met the following four criteria:
- the person’s most recent period of service as the chief executive of that company, ignoring any period of service less than a year, must be three or more years in length;
- the company must have, on average, at least S$500m shareholders’ equity during the person’s most recent three-year period of service as chief executive;
- the company must have, on average, made profit after tax for the entire period during which the person served as the chief executive;
- if the person has ceased to be the chief executive of the company before the date of the Writ of Election, the company must not have been subject to any insolvency event within three years of the person’s last day of service as the chief executive, or until the date of the Writ of Election, whichever is earlier
The other qualification guidelines are that the person must have:
- served for three or more years in an office in a private sector organisation and the PEC must be satisfied (having regard to the nature of the office, the size and complexity of the private sector organisation and the person’s performance in the office) that the person has the experience and ability comparable to a person who satisfies the criteria laid out in private sector service requirement (a). The PEC must also be satisfied that he has the experience and ability to effectively carry out the functions and duties of the office of President; OR
- served for two periods of at least one year each in any of the above-mentioned offices, and the two periods add up to three or more years in total.
Under both the public sector service requirement and private sector service requirement, the terms are defined as such:
- chief executive, in relation to an entity or organisation, means the most senior executive of the entity or organisation, who is principally responsible for the management and conduct of the entity’s or organisation’s business and operations
- company means a company limited by shares and incorporated or registered in Singapore under the general law related to companies
The details on how to calculate and determine shareholders’ equity and profit after tax, and on what constitutes an insolvency event, are set out in Part 3 of the Presidential Elections (Certificate of Eligibility) Regulations 2017.
Some conditions include converting shareholder equity as well as profit after tax to Singapore dollars in accordance with Singapore Accounting Standards.
How A Candidate Can Be Disqualified For Election As President During Nomination Day
There are also certain conditions set before a person can contest as a presidential candidate and one can be disqualified on Nomination Day if he or she:
- is the holder of a whole-time office in the service of the Government (E.g. a Civil Servant)
- is of unsound mind
- is an undischarged bankrupt
- did not file returns respecting election expenses as required by law at any previous parliamentary or presidential election
- has been convicted of an offence by a court in Singapore or any foreign country and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than $10,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency when sentenced), for which he has not been pardoned
- has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of, or exercised rights of citizenship in, another country or has declared allegiance to another country; or
- is disqualified under the Parliamentary Elections Act 1954 or Presidential Elections Act 1991 on account of having committed an election offence
When Is A Presidential Election Held
The prime minister issues a Writ of Election to the Returning Officer to direct him to hold an election.
A presidential election must be held within six months after the office of the president is vacant and prior to the expiration of the term of office of the incumbent. It must also be held not more than three months before the incumbent president’s term of office expires.
What Are Reserved Elections
A special reserved election will be held if no president was elected from a certain community (e.g. Chinese, Malay, or Indian and other minority communities) for any of the last five terms of office. This is to ensure multi-racial representation in the presidency. For example, Madam Halimah Yacob was a participant of the reserved election.
An open election will be held if no candidate is nominated successfully at a reserved election.
Notice Of Election
Prospective candidates who wish to contest in the Presidential elections must submit applications to the PEC and Community Committee. The deadline for submission of the community declaration and applying for the Certificate of Eligibility is five days after the Writ of Election is issued.
What Happens During Nomination Day
Prospective candidates are required to submit their nomination papers and certificates to the Returning Officer (RO), in duplicate and in person, at the nomination centre between 11am and 12 noon, accompanied by their proposer, seconder and at least four assentors.
Where more than one candidate stands nominated, the RO will adjourn the election to a date when a poll will be taken (Polling Day). The RO will allot to each candidate an approved symbol.
If only one candidate stands nominated when the nomination period closes, the RO will declare the nominated candidate elected to the Office of the President.
Elections, Campaigning, Cooling Off Day And Polling Day
Candidates will know the date of the poll (between the 10th to 56th day) after the publication of the notice of contested election. They will also know their voting symbols, names and locations of all polling stations.
The maximum a candidate can spend on election expenses is $600,000 or 30 cents for each elector in the Registers of Electors, whichever is more.
The eve of polling day will be the cooling off day. After voters complete the votes, the results from all counting centres will be collated. The final results will be published in the Singapore Government Gazette.
Read Also: Here’s How Much Singapore’s President And Cabinet Ministers Are Paid In Salary
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