Candidates’ election deposit remains at $13,500 for GE2025: ELD
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Candidates’ election deposits will be forfeited if they are not elected and do not secure more than 12.5 per cent of the votes polled.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
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SINGAPORE - Candidates contesting this year’s general election will need to pay $13,500 each – the same as in the 2020 election.
This and other details were revealed on April 15 by the Elections Department (ELD) shortly after President Tharman Shanmugaratnam dissolved Parliament and issued the Writ of Election.
Polling Day will be on May 3, a Saturday, if more than one candidate or group of candidates are nominated for an electoral division on Nomination Day. Nomination Day will be on Wednesday, April 23.
Candidates’ election deposits will be forfeited if they are not elected and do not secure more than 12.5 per cent of the votes polled.
The deposit is set as the fixed monthly allowance payable to an elected MP for the month immediately before the date of dissolution of Parliament, rounded to the nearest $500. The current fixed monthly allowance is $13,750.
Candidates are encouraged to pay their deposits early, and not wait until Nomination Day to do so. Other than using a cheque, electronic payment methods, such as PayNow and bank transfer, are also available.
Candidates are also encouraged to use the digital services at the ELD website to prepare their nomination papers. This helps them check that their proposer, seconder and assenters are from the GRC or SMC the candidates are contesting.
Completed papers should be printed and signed, and the nomination papers must be delivered in person to the respective nomination centres between 11am and noon on Nomination Day.
The candidate, or group of candidates, must be accompanied by a proposer, a seconder and at least four assenters when delivering the nomination papers.
Each candidate must also apply for a political donation certificate from the Registrar of Political Donations by April 19. This may also be done online.
Candidates must adhere to election expenses limits stipulated in the Parliamentary Elections Act, which is currently $5 for every elector in their electoral division.
If a candidate is contesting a group representation constituency, the limit is $5 per elector for that GRC, divided by the number of candidates in the group.
Under the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act, only Singapore citizens aged 21 and above or Singapore entities are allowed to make political donations, which include gifts, loans and voluntary labour.
For groups of candidates seeking election in a GRC, a relevant certificate from either the Malay Community Committee or the Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee is required. These applications will close on April 19.
The chairman of the Malay Community Committee is Mr Mohamed Sa’at Abdul Rahman. The other members are Dr Hadijah Rahmat, Dr Mohamed Ali, Madam Rahayu Mohamad and Mr Zulkifli Baharudin.
The chairman of the Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee is Associate Professor Narayanan Ganapathy. The other members are Mr Khiatani Manohar Ramesh, Mr Ravinder Singh, Mr Vincent Schoon and Dr Zahabar Ali.
There will be 18 GRCs and 15 single-member constituencies up for contest,
May 3 will be a public holiday.
The Ministry of Manpower, in a separate statement, reminded companies that Polling Day should be treated the same as any other public holiday. Employees are entitled to either a day off or salary in lieu, if Polling Day is a non-working day for them, added the ministry.
The Returning Officer is Mr Han Kok Juan, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, who will oversee the smooth conduct of the election. He took over the role from Housing Board chief executive Tan Meng Dui on April 1.
The election, Singapore’s 14th since independence, is likely to again see the PAP challenged for all seats – as was the case in 2020.
