Singapore presidential vote on Sept 23, if more than one candidate

SINGAPORE: Singapore said yesterday it will hold a presidential election on Sept 23 if more than one candidate is nominated to run for the largely ceremonial post that has been reserved for someone from the ethnic Malay community.

Under a constitutional amendment passed by multi-ethnic Singapore’s parliament in November, the post will be reserved for candidates from a particular ethnic group if no one from that group has been president for five straight six-year terms.

If there is only one candidate on nomination day, Sept 13, that person will become president.

If there is more than one, the election will be held on Sept 23, the Elections Department said.

The city-state has a population of 5.6 million, with 3.9 million of them residents, including both citizens and permanent residents, according to the Department of Statistics.

Among residents, 2.9 million are ethnic Chinese, 526,000 ethnic Malay and 357,000 ethnic Indian, and authorities are keen to promote unity and social harmony.

The president mostly performs ceremonial duties but wields veto power over the use of financial reserves and the appointment of key civil servants.

The current president, Tony Tan, is due to finish his term later this week, having been elected in 2011. — Reuters