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Singapore

Rallies ‘may be divisive’, not encouraged for Presidential Election: Elections Department

Candidates who want to hold election meetings like rallies must get approval from the owner of the site or premises before applying for a police permit.

03:22 Min
Rallies are not encouraged for the Presidential Election and there will be no designated rally sites, said the Elections Department (ELD) on Saturday (Aug 12). Lauren Ong reports.

SINGAPORE: Rallies are not encouraged for the Presidential Election and there will be no designated rally sites, said the Elections Department (ELD) on Saturday (Aug 12). 

This is because election meetings “by their nature and format” may be divisive and are not congruent with the unifying role of the elected President, it said in a press release. 

Singaporeans will head to the polls for Singapore’s Presidential Election on Sep 1, if more than one candidate qualifies to run for the post. Nomination Day is set for Aug 22, and a cooling-off period where all campaigning must stop will be observed between the eve of Polling Day and when polls close. 

In the Presidential Elections (Amendment) Bill that was passed in 2017 - before President Halimah Yacob was elected to the seat - changes were implemented such that the government will no longer designate any rally sites during Presidential Elections, after the Constitutional Commission took the position to not encourage rallies. 

Candidates who still want to hold election meetings like rallies can do so, but will need to get approval from the owner of the site or premises before applying for a police permit, the ELD said on Saturday. 

“Due to safety and security considerations, it is preferable that election meetings, if any, be held at sports stadiums or indoor venues,” it added.

Candidates can only apply for a police permit after the close of nomination proceedings, and this must be submitted at least two days before the intended date of the election meeting. 

TV CAMPAIGNING

Television will be the key medium of the campaign because of its national reach, said the ELD.

Each candidate will be allocated two blocks of 10 minutes of airtime free of charge to make their statements across 19 Mediacorp TV channels, as well as the radio channels of Mediacorp, Singapore Media Trust (SMT) and SoDrama!.

These Presidential Candidate Broadcasts will be aired on Aug 24 and Aug 30.

Mediacorp’s televised Presidential Forum will be broadcast live on CNA on Aug 28, with live streams on CNA’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. There will be a repeat telecast of the forum on Channel 5 the next day. 

SMT’s video, which will see presidential candidates answer questions from younger Singaporeans, will be released on The Straits Times website and social media platforms on Aug 27. 

NO PUBLIC ASSEMBLIES AT SPEAKER'S CORNER WITHOUT PERMIT

From Nomination Day on Aug 22 until Polling Day on Sep 1, the exemptions for public assemblies and public processions within Speakers’ Corner at Hong Lim Park will be temporarily revoked.

This is the ensure that the permit regime for election meetings during the presidential election also applies to the Speaker's Corner, said the police in a separate media release.

During this period, public assemblies or public processions cannot be held at the Speaker’s Corner without a police permit.

The police added that all outdoor election meetings such as rallies will be within designated no-fly zones.

Aerial activities like flying kites and drones will be prohibited within and into no-fly zones unless authorised by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

ONLINE CONDUCT

Members of the public should be cautious about the information and materials they receive during this period and be alert to misinformation, said the police and the Ministry of Communications and Information.

"Persons with ill intent may create online posts containing falsehoods or manipulated content such as deep fakes, to deceive the public and influence the outcome of the election," they warned, adding that people should not share content containing falsehoods, misleading or manipulated content.

The authorities also advised people not to dox others or make online comments that may cause harassment, alarm or distress to another person.

FOREIGN INTERFERENCE, NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING

The Elections Department warned against foreign interference attempts, and encouraged Singaporeans to exercise individual vigilance to “safeguard the integrity of elections”. 

“Candidates have a responsibility to raise their awareness of potential foreign interference threats and be on the alert for suspicious behaviours and hidden agendas,” the press release read. 

If they suspect that they are the target of foreign interference activities, they should also make a police report and inform ELD, it said. 

Only Singapore citizens can take part in elections and campaigning, and any person who wants to conduct any election activity, online, offline or both, for a candidate must possess written authority signed by the candidate or his election agents, the agency said.

“Candidates, their elections agents and their authorised representatives should conduct election campaigning in a responsible and dignified manner that befits the seriousness of the election process,” ELD added.

“They should steer away from negative campaigning based on hate and denigration of opposing candidates. They should not make false statements, for example, unfounded allegations of corruption or commission of criminal offences, or statements that may cause racial or religious tensions or affect social cohesion.” 

ELECTION EXPENSES

The election expenses limit for this year’s Presidential Election is S$812,822.10, ELD announced on Saturday, based on the number of registered electors. 

The maximum spending limit for election expenses is S$600,000 or 30 cents per registered elector, whichever is greater. 

At the last Presidential Election in 2017, which went uncontested, candidates had to cap their campaign budget at S$754,982.40. President Halimah Yacob spent a total of S$220,875 on her election campaign. 

Under the Political Donations Act, only Singapore citizens who are 21 and older or Singapore-controlled companies that carry out business wholly or mainly in Singapore are allowed to make political donations, said ELD in the press release. 

CAMPAIGNING BY POLITICAL PARTIES

As the office is the highest position in the land, election campaigning should befit the dignity and role of the President, said ELD.

"The President should remain above the political fray. It is not his role to support or oppose the government of the day or to advance his own agenda or policies," the press release read. 

A Presidential Election campaign “should differ fundamentally” from a General Election campaign, given the different roles of an elected President and the elected government, said ELD. 

“The focus of the Presidential Election campaign should therefore be on the suitability and integrity of candidates to discharge these functions, while maintaining the dignity of the office,” it added.

The position of the President is non-partisan, and political parties should not be involved in campaigning under their party names and symbols in support of a candidate, said ELD on Saturday. 

Source: CNA/hw(gr)

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