Location Singapore | ||
 | ||
The next Singaporean presidential election is due to be held in September 2017.
Contents
Background
The President is the head of state of Singapore. Following the Westminster system, the position is largely ceremonial, but enjoys several reserve powers including withholding presidential assent on supply bills and changing or revoking civil service appointments. The current system of holding elections for the Presidency began with the 1993 election. Before then, the President was selected by Parliament.
There are strict requirements for prospective election candidates, and whether a candidate meets the qualifications or not is decided by the Election Department.
The Presidency is, by the rules of the Constitution, nonpartisan.
Parliamentary reform
On 11 March 2010, the Government tabled three bills in the parliament to amend the Constitution, the Presidential Elections Act and the Parliamentary Elections Act. A one-day "cooling-off" day was implemented, during which campaigning was forbidden, with only party political broadcasts allowed. Internet campaigning was also formally legalised as a legitimate means of political campaigning. On 26 April 2010, the amendments to the Constitution were passed by a vote of 74–1 after a three-hour debate on the bill.
Candidates
A Constitutional Commission is reviewing the eligibility criteria for presidential candidates.
With the changes to the elected presidency setup, the next election will be reserved for the Malay community. This means that Abdullah Tarmugi, Halimah Yacob and Yaacob Ibrahim will be eligible for the presidency. Incumbent President Tony Tan will not be eligible to run for a second term, nor will presidential hopeful Tan Cheng Bock who contested against Tony Tan in the last election in 2011 and planned to do so again.