2023 Singaporean presidential election
The Singaporean presidential election of 2023 will be the sixth Singaporean presidential election. Following amendments to the Constitution of Singapore, the 2017 election was the first to be reserved for a particular racial group under a hiatus-triggered model, and was restricted to candidates from the minority Malay community, who had not held the presidential office since 1970.Background
The President is the head of state of Singapore. Following the Westminster system, the position is largely ceremonial, but enjoys several reserve powers including withholding presidential assent on supply bills and changing or revoking civil service appointments. The current system of holding elections for the Presidency began with the 1993 election, with the election of Ong Teng Cheong. Before then, the President was selected by Parliament.
There are strict requirements for prospective presidential election candidates, and whether a candidate meets the qualifications or not is decided by the Presidential Elections Committee, who are given the task of issuing a certificate of eligibility to prospective candidates.
The Presidency is, by the rules of the Constitution, required to be nonpartisan. However, the incumbent President, Halimah Yacob had ties with the People's Action Party up until her presidential campaign. She was a member of the party's Central Executive Committee, as well as the chair of the party's Seniors Group. She was also an elected PAP Member of Parliament and Speaker of Parliament prior to her resignation in 2017 to run for President.Electoral system
The President is elected by first-past-the-post voting, with the candidate receiving the most votes winning the election.
