12-6-2023 (SINGAPORE) Aspiring candidates interested in participating in the upcoming Presidential Election (PE) can now apply for a Certificate of Eligibility starting from Tuesday (Jun 13).
Obtaining the Certificate of Eligibility is the initial step to join the presidential race, and candidates must also submit a community declaration as part of the process.
According to a press release by the Elections Department (ELD) on Monday, the application period for the Certificate of Eligibility and the submission of community declarations will close on the fifth day after the Writ of Election is issued.
The ELD emphasized that late applications will not be entertained.
The purpose of the Certificate of Eligibility is to verify that the candidate possesses integrity, good character, and reputation, and fulfills the necessary requirements for public or private sector service.
To be eligible, prospective candidates must have held a high-ranking public office or served as the head of a company with a minimum of S$500 million (US$370 million) in shareholders’ equity for at least three years.
Additionally, contenders must be Singaporean citizens, at least 45 years old on Nomination Day, and cannot be affiliated with any political party.
The Presidential Elections Committee, chaired by Mr. Lee Tzu Yang, who is also the chairman of the Public Service Commission, will evaluate the candidates and issue the Certificate of Eligibility.
In the community declaration, which is to be submitted to the Community Committee, potential candidates must state their affiliation with the Chinese, Malay, Indian, or Other Minority communities. The Community Committee is led by Mr. Edward D’Silva.
The ELD clarified that applicants who do not consider themselves members of any of the above communities may indicate so in their community declaration. The Community Committee can either accept the declaration and issue a notice of acceptance or request the submission of another community declaration for one of the communities.
Although the upcoming election is open to candidates of all races, this declaration is essential to determine when the next reserved election will take place.
If no candidate from a specific community has been elected as President in the past five terms, the subsequent election will be reserved for that particular community. The ELD encourages prospective candidates to utilize the digital services on its website to facilitate the preparation of the Certificate of Eligibility application form. The completed form, along with all supporting documents, must be printed and submitted to the ELD no later than the fifth day after the Writ of Election is issued.
Since 2021, the ELD public counter has been relocated to Novena Rise from its previous location at Prinsep Link.
The Certificate of Eligibility will be issued by the Presidential Elections Committee no later than the eve of Nomination Day, and applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications.
In response to media inquiries, the ELD stated, “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.”
In the previous PE held in 2017, applications for Certificates of Eligibility opened on Jun 1, the Writ of Election was issued on Aug 28, and Nomination Day took place on Sep 13, 2017.
While Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the only individual who has officially announced his intention to run for the presidency, there has been speculation that George Goh, the founder of Harvey Norman Ossia, could also become a contender.
