SINGAPORE - There are 3,104 Singaporeans who have registered to vote overseas at the next general election as of end-July, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean in a written parliamentary reply on Monday.
This makes up 0.1 per cent of the total number of electors in the registers, added Mr Teo, who was responding to a question from Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Lina Chiam of the Singapore People's Party.
At the last polls in 2011, 78 per cent of registered overseas electors cast their votes at polling stations abroad.
Separately, Mr Teo also clarified whether full-time employees of statutory boards can stand in a general election - a question from NCMP Gerald Giam , who is from the Workers' Party.
The Constitution, he explained, does not disqualify statutory board employees from running for office or becoming MPs because under the law, statutory boards are distinct entities from the Government.
Most statutory boards nonetheless follow the practices of the civil service, which requires its employees to resign before entering politics, said Mr Teo, who is also Home Affairs Minister. "Employees of these statutory boards are not allowed to hold office in political parties and stand for election to Parliament," he said.
However, there is greater flexibility for a small group of statutory boards not involved in policy formulation or implementation. These include institutions of higher learning.
"Employees of these statutory boards are generally allowed to join political parties and stand for election to Parliament unless they hold leadership positions in these entities," said Mr Teo.
