CANDIDATES planning to run in the upcoming presidential election can start applying to enter the race from Tuesday (Jun 13).

Prospective candidates must apply for a Certificate of Eligibility and submit their community declarations to stand in the election. They can do so until the fifth day after the Writ of Election is issued, and no late applications will be accepted, said the Elections Department (ELD) in a statement on Monday.

The Certificate of Eligibility, which candidates must submit to the Presidential Elections Committee, certifies that the candidate is a person of good character and reputation, and has met the relevant public or private sector service requirements to run in the election.

The public-sector service requirement includes having held office as a minister, chief justice, Speaker of Parliament, attorney-general, chairman of the Public Service Commission, auditor-general, accountant-general or permanent secretary for at least three years.

Meanwhile, the private-sector service requirement includes having served as a chief executive of a company with an average of S$500 million in shareholders’ equity and which reports a profit after tax for at least three years.

While the next presidential election is an open election, meaning that it is open to candidates of all races, candidates will still have to submit a community declaration to the Community Committee. This is so that the ELD can ascertain when the next reserved election will need to be held.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

The Presidential Elections Committee is chaired by Public Service Commission chairman Lee Tzu Yang, while the Community Committee is chaired by Edward D’Silva, who is a member of the Public Service Commission.

Singapore’s next presidential election may be held at any time from Jun 13, 2023. While there is no legal requirement for a new president to be elected before the incumbent vacates the seat, it is recommended that the election be held shortly after the current president’s term expires, if it has not already taken place.

President Halimah Yacob’s current term will expire on Sep 13. Aside from Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who announced his presidential bid last Thursday, George Goh, the founder of Harvey Norman Ossia, has announced his intention to run for the Singapore presidency.