Applications for a Certificate of Eligibility to run in the Presidential Election (PE) will begin on Tuesday, June 13, offering potential candidates their first opportunity to enter the presidential race. Alongside this, candidates must also submit a community declaration as part of the application process. The Elections Department (ELD) announced in a press release on Monday that applications for the Certificate of Eligibility and community declarations must be completed within five days after the issuance of the Writ of Election. Late applications will not be accepted.
The Certificate of Eligibility serves to certify the integrity, good character, and reputation of the candidate, as well as ensure they meet the relevant requirements for public or private sector service. To qualify, prospective candidates must have held a senior public office or been the head of a company with at least S$500 million (US$370 million) in shareholders' equity for a minimum of three years. In addition, candidates must be Singapore citizens, at least 45 years old on Nomination Day, and cannot belong to any political party.
The Presidential Elections Committee, chaired by Mr. Lee Tzu Yang, the chairman of the Public Service Commission, will evaluate the candidates and issue the Certificate of Eligibility. Simultaneously, candidates must submit a community declaration to the Community Committee, chaired by Mr. Edward D'Silva, where they state their affiliation with the Chinese, Malay, Indian, or Other Minority communities. If a candidate does not identify with any of these communities, they can indicate so in their community declaration. The Community Committee will either accept the declaration and issue a notice of acceptance or request the candidate to submit another community declaration for one of the communities.
While the upcoming election is open to candidates of all races, the community declaration is crucial in determining the timing of the next reserved election. If no candidate from a particular community has been elected as President in the past five terms, the subsequent election will be reserved for that community.
The ELD encourages prospective candidates to use the digital services available on its website to complete the application form for the Certificate of Eligibility. The form must be printed and submitted to the ELD, along with all the required supporting documents, no later than the fifth day after the Writ of Election is issued. The ELD public counter has been relocated to Novena Rise since 2021, after moving from its previous location at Prinsep Link.
The Presidential Elections Committee will issue the Certificate of Eligibility no later than the day before Nomination Day, and applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications.
ELD stated that the upcoming Presidential Election could take place at any time from June 13, and if it has not been held by the expiration of President Halimah Yacob's term on September 13, it will be conducted shortly after. The timing of the upcoming Presidential Election is ultimately a decision for the Prime Minister to make, as mentioned in ELD's response to the media.
In the previous PE held in 2017, applications for Certificates of Eligibility opened on June 1, and the Writ of Election was issued on August 28. Nomination Day took place on September 13, 2017.
Currently, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the only person who has announced their intention to run for the presidency. However, observers have suggested that George Goh, the founder of Harvey Norman Ossia, could also be a potential contender.
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