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The election expenses limit for this year’s Presidential Election is S$812,822.10, ELD also 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 $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.
The Department also 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 press release read.
“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,” said ELD in the press release.
“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.”
Television will be the key medium of the campaign, and each candidate will be allocated two blocks of 10 minutes of airtime free of charge to make their statements across 19 Mediacorp TV channels, and Mediacorp, Singapore Media Trust (SMT) and SoDrama! radio channels.
These Presidential Candidate Broadcasts will be aired on Aug 24 and Aug 30 respectively, said ELD in the press release.
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.
As the office is the highest position in the land, election campaigning should befit the dignity and role of the President, said ELD in the press release.
“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,” the press release read.
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.
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