GE2025: Elections Department gets 245 applications for political donation certificate

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ST20250306_202540200862 Kua Chee Siong/ pixeld/
Generic pix of the Elections Department Singapore (ELD), located at Novena Rise, on Mar 6, 2025.

There could be up to 245 candidates contesting the 97 parliamentary seats in GE2025.

ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

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SINGAPORE - A total of 245 people have applied for political donation certificates for the May 3 General Election.

The Elections Department (ELD) said in a statement on April 20 that it had received the 245 requests by the April 19 application deadline. This means there could be as many candidates contesting the 97 seats in Parliament.

A number of parties typically apply for additional or standby certificates. There were 226 applications for political donation certificates for GE2020, although only 192 candidates submitted nomination papers to contest the 93 parliamentary seats then.

Singapore’s election rules require candidates to submit political donation forms, on which they have to record donations received and declare that the funds are permitted under the law.

This paperwork is needed to obtain political donation certificates, which the Registrar of Political Donations will issue by the eve of Nomination Day.

Candidates seeking election will have to submit these certificates with their nomination papers on Nomination Day on April 23.

They must also have a proposer, seconder and at least four assenters, who must all be eligible to vote in the constituency.

The ELD also received 42 applications for the Certificate of the Malay Community Committee and 37 for the Certificate of the Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee.

Every group of candidates looking to contest a parliamentary election in a group representation constituency is required to have at least one candidate belonging to either the Malay community or the Indian and other minority communities, depending on the requirement for that particular GRC.

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