Applications for Singapore Presidential Election open on Jun 13

SINGAPORE: Potential candidates who wish to run in the Presidential Election (PE) can apply for a Certificate of Eligibility from Tuesday (Jun 13).

This is the first step in order to enter the presidential race. Prospective candidates must also submit a community declaration.

Applications for the Certificate of Eligibility and submission of community declarations will close on the fifth day after the Writ of Election is issued, the Elections Department (ELD) said in a press release on Monday.

Late applications will not be accepted, it added.

The Certificate of Eligibility certifies that the candidate is a person of integrity, good character and reputation, and meets the relevant public sector or private sector service requirements.

To qualify, the prospective candidate must have held a senior public office or helmed a company that has at least S$500 million (US$370 million) in shareholders' equity for at least three years.

The contender must also be a Singapore citizen, be at least 45 years old on Nomination Day and not belong to any political party.

The Presidential Elections Committee, which will evaluate the candidates and issue the Certificate of Eligibility, is chaired by Mr Lee Tzu Yang, the chairman of the Public Service Commission.

In the community declaration that must be submitted to the Community Committee, the potential candidate has to declare if he or she is from the Chinese, Malay, Indian or Other Minority communities. The Community Committee is chaired by Mr Edward D’Silva.

ELD said that an applicant who does not consider himself a member of any of the above communities may also state so in his community declaration. The Community Committee can either accept the declaration and issue the person a notice of acceptance or invite the person to submit another community declaration for one of the communities.

While the upcoming election is open to all races, the declaration is required to determine when the next reserved election will be held.

If no one from a particular community is elected to the office of the President for the past five terms, the next election shall then be reserved for that community.  

Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Harvey Norman Ossia’s founder George Goh have both announced their intention to run for the presidency.

ELD said that prospective candidates are encouraged to use the digital services on its website to prepare the application form for the Certificate of Eligibility. The form must be printed and submitted to ELD with all the supporting documents no later than the fifth day after the Writ of Election is issued.

The ELD public counter is now located at Novena Rise, after it moved in 2021 from its Prinsep Link location.

The Presidential Elections Committee issues the Certificate of Eligibility no later than the eve of Nomination Day and applicants will be notified of the application outcome.

ELD said that the upcoming Presidential Election may be held at any time from Jun 13, and if it has not been held by the expiration of the term of the incumbent President, it should be held shortly after. President Halimah Yacob's current term ends on Sep 13.

"We are unable to comment further on the timing of the upcoming Presidential Election, as this is a matter for the Prime Minister to decide,” ELD said in a response to the media.

In the last PE in 2017, the applications for Certificates of Eligibility were opened on Jun 1 and the Writ of Election was issued on Aug 28. Nomination Day was Sep 13, 2017.