SINGAPORE — Singaporeans will go to the polls on Sept 1 to vote for the nation’s ninth President, should there be more than one eligible candidate, after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday (Aug 11) issued the Writ of Election.

Nomination Day will fall on Aug 22 and nominations will be held at the auditorium of People's Association, at 9 King George's Avenue.

Each candidate will have to pay a deposit of S$40,500, which can be done electronically, via bank draft or a cheque.

"Prospective candidates are encouraged to pay the election deposit early and not wait until Nomination Day to do so," said the Elections Department in a statement on Friday.

Referring to the few individuals who had made known their intention to run for the presidency, Mr Lee said in a Facebook post that Singaporeans should listen carefully to what each candidate has to say and to understand their views.

"Our President represents all Singaporeans, and stands as a symbol of our unity and aspirations. I hope all Singaporeans will vote wisely for the best candidate for the role," Mr Lee said.

To date, four individuals have thrown their hats into the ring and have launched their presidential bids. In chronological order of their public announcements, they are:

• Former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who made the announcement to contest in June
• Businessman George Goh
• Ex-GIC investment head Ng Kok Song
• Ex-NTUC Income chief and former presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian

All four presidential hopefuls have submitted their applications to be certified eligible to stand.

Presidential hopefuls who have yet to submit their applications for a certificate of eligibility and a community certificate for the coming election will have until Aug 17 to do so.

Failure to do so with either committee will rule them out of the election. They must also apply for a political donation certificate to the Elections Department by Aug 18.

Prospective candidates can download and sign a form to voluntarily undertake to conduct their election campaign in a manner that is "dignified, decorous and consistent with the President's position as the head of state and the symbol of national unity". This form was introduced during the 2017 Presidential Election.

The signed undertaking will be put up on the noticeboard together with the candidate's nomination paper and certificates, said the Elections Department.

The last Presidential Election in 2017 was reserved for ethnic Malays because there had not been a president from the racial group for the five most recent presidential terms. 

The upcoming elected presidency will not be reserved for minority candidates.

To qualify, the presidential hopeful must have held a senior public office or helmed a company that has at least S$500 million in shareholders' equity for at least three years.

They can also contest if the Presidential Elections Committee, a six-person committee chaired by the chairman of the Public Service Commission Lee Tzu Yang, deem them eligible under a deliberative track.

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

POSTAL VOTING, MORE POLLING STATIONS

If polls are held this year, voters can expect shorter waiting times as 15 per cent more polling stations will be set up this year, the Elections Department announced in July.

The Government had previously said that overseas postal voting will be implemented for the first time from this year's Presidential Election onwards. Registration for overseas voting will close on the second day after the Writ of Election is issued.

Overseas Singaporeans who choose to vote by post must ensure that their return envelopes containing the marked postal ballots reach the Returning Officer in Singapore no later than 10 days after Polling Day.

Before the introduction of postal voting, overseas Singaporeans had to travel to one of 10 polling stations worldwide to cast their vote. This resulted in some Singaporeans being unable to vote during the 2020 General Election when travel restrictions were implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2011, applications for the Presidential Election opened on June 1. The Writ of Election was issued two months later on Aug 3, and Nomination Day was set on Aug 17, 2011.

Polling day was Aug 27, 2011.

For the 2017 Presidential Election, applications opened on June 1.

Mr Lee then issued the Writ of Election on Aug 28 that year.

Nomination Day was set on Sept 13 that year and polling day on Sept 23, 2017, but Madam Halimah Yacob was declared the President on Nomination Day as there were no other candidates who qualified.

She was sworn in the following day.

Earlier Presidential Elections had been held in the last week of August.

But in 2017, the Government said that it was moving to a September polling date to avoid having the campaign period clash with National Day celebrations, and to provide for a longer time needed to assess prospective candidates.

PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS SAY...

Following the issuance of the writ of election, presidential hopeful Mr Ng thanked his supporters and said he is "ready for the journey ahead".

"I will give my best for the privilege of serving all Singaporeans," he said in a statement.

Mr Goh's media team, meanwhile, said that he has been "preparing for this day since 2017".

The team expressed its hopes that the decision to approve or reject applicants will be made sooner rather than closer to the deadline to enable them to prepare properly for the campaign.

The Presidential Elections Committee must inform applicants whether they have been approved or rejected before Nomination Day, which falls on Aug 22.

Mr Tharman said at a press conference on Friday evening that he looks forward to a contest. 

“I think the elections will be an honourable contest because I think Singaporeans are fair minded,” he said.

“They have a sense of what they would really like to see in this next phase of our development, not just as an economy but as a society.”

The fourth presidential hopeful, Mr Tan, said that the writ of election "required many forms, containing detailed information, to be submitted within a short time frame".

"I will try my best to meet the requirements. I wished that it was not rushed and more time had been given," he said.