SINGAPORE, Aug 12 — Rallies are "not encouraged” for the presidential election as they may be divisive and incongruent with the unifying role of Singapore’s head of state, said the Elections Department (ELD) today as it announced campaign guidelines for the upcoming poll.

Instead, candidates are encouraged to use platforms that reach out to voters at large such as television broadcasts and social media, said ELD said in a statement a day after the Writ of Election for the presidential election was issued.

The department also announced that presidential hopefuls will have to cap their campaign budget at S$812,822.10 (RM2.7 million) each.

While this is slightly higher than the S$754,982.40 limit set for the 2017 presidential election, both are calculated based on the same rate of 30 cents per elector on the Registers of Electors.

The last contested presidential election was in 2011, with the 2017 election uncontested because only incumbent Madam Halimah Yacob qualified.

For the 2011 election, runner-up candidate Tan Cheng Bock had the biggest spending of S$585,045.03. The next biggest spender was winning candidate Tony Tan, who used S$503,070.

Nomination Day for the upcoming presidential election falls on August 22. If more than one prospective candidate qualifies to contest, Singaporeans will go to the polls on September 1 to vote for the nation’s ninth President.

No designated rally sites

ELD said today that a presidential election campaign should "differ fundamentally” in form from a General Election campaign, given the different roles that the elected President and government perform.

"The President should remain above the political fray. It is not his role to support or oppose the Government of the day or to advance his own agenda or policies,” said the department.

It added that under the Constitution, the President has important ceremonial and representational roles as Head of State, as well as a custodial role over the country’s past reserves and appointment of key public servants. As such, the President should have the direct mandate of the people to perform these functions on their behalf.

"The focus of the presidential election campaign should therefore be on the suitability and integrity of candidates to discharges these functions, while maintaining the dignity of the office,” said ELD.

While candidates in 2011 held rallies at designated sites, no site was designated for the 2017 presidential election and had it been contested, candidates would have been required to obtain the necessary approvals and permits on their own.

"Election meetings, by their nature and format, may be divisive and not congruent with the unifying role of the Elected Presidency,” said ELD today.

"Hence, rallies are not encouraged and there will be no designated rally sites for presidential elections.”

Candidates can apply for the necessary permits and approvals on their own, but are "encouraged” to hold such rallies at sports stadiums or indoor venues due to safety and security considerations, said the department.

Television will be a key medium of the campaign given its national reach, said ELD.

"It also allows voters to assess the candidates in a manner in keeping with the decorum and dignity of the office of President.”

Given the non-partisan position of the President, political parties should not be involved in campaigning using their party names and symbols in support of any particular candidate.

Candidates and voters are also not allowed to make, exhibit or distribute party political films during campaigning.

If contested, this presidential election will also be the first one held under stricter transparency and foreign interference laws and guidelines that Parliament passed in March.

For example, all election advertising are required to include relevant particulars such as the name of the publisher, the persons who directed the election advertising and the persons who paid for it.

Under the Presidential Elections (Election Advertising) Regulations 2023, the requirements are extended to the amplification of online election advertising. This refers to the boosting, sharing or reposting of such campaign posts.

Candidates have a responsibility to raise "awareness of potential foreign interference threats and be on the alert” for suspicious behaviours and hidden agenda, said ELD today.

The candidates are recommended to take the following precautions:

• Fact-check information received to ensure accuracy, authenticity and the credibility of source before sharing it or reacting to it during campaigning
• Monitor their own social media platforms for suspicious or anomalous activity
• Familiarise with and abide by the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act 2021 and Political Donations Act 2000

"Should any candidates suspect that they are the target of foreign interference activities, they should make a police report and keep the Elections Department informed,” said the ELD.

Televised messages, forums

Each candidate will be allocated two blocks of 10 minutes’ airtime free of charge to make statements across 19 Mediacrop television channels as well as radio channels on Mediacorp, SPH and SoDrama!.

These pre-recorded Presidential Candidate Broadcast messages will be aired on August 24 and August 30 and can be made in any of the four official languages.

In 2011, one televised forum was held for the presidential candidates. This was increased to two for the 2017 Presidential Election, but the election was not contested.

This year, two forums will be conducted.

One forum where presidential candidates answer questions from younger Singaporeans will be recorded "as live” and released on The Straits Times website and social media platforms on August 27.

Mediacorp will televise a Presidential Forum live on CNA on August 28, which will also be streamed online. A repeat telecast of the Forum will be aired on Channel 5 on August 29.

A cooling-off period — when all campaigning must stop — will be observed from August 31 until voting closes on Polling Day. — TODAY