How to run for president in S'pore

It's time.

With President Halimah's announcement that she would not be standing for re-election, the race is on to find Singapore's next president.

And it could be you.

But not just any one of you.

Before you start imagining yourself being guest-of-honour at events and rubbing shoulders with fellow Heads-of-State, you should know it isn’t an easy process.

There's a whole list of criteria to be President, stipulated by Article 19 – “Qualifications of President” – of the Constitution.

As President, thousands of botak boys will pledge to “always bear true faith and allegiance” to you during their National Service.

If you want to be President, you need to make sure you’ve covered all your bases – and there are a lot of them.

For starters, you cannot be younger than 45, according to Article 19(2)(b) of the Constitution.

That rules out all you young PMETs and budding entrepreneurs looking for a career switch. Tough.

Think of all the fellow Heads-of-State you can meet as president. Who doesn't like making new friends?

You also have to be, among other things:

1. A citizen of Singapore
2. A person of integrity, good character and reputation
3. A resident of Singapore for at least 10 years, as decreed by Article 44(d)

How much control does the President have over the Istana's internal décor? Could you replace a chandelier with a disco ball?

But even if you meet the basic criteria above, there are other strict requirements you’ll have to fulfil, whether you come from the public or private sector.

As president, you will represent Singapore on the world stage.

To meet the public sector service requirement, you’ll need to have served in one of the following roles for at least three years, under Articles 19(3)(a) and 19(3)(b):

1. Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker of Parliament, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Attorney-General, Auditor-General, Accountant-General, Permanent Secretary; or
2. Chief executive of a key statutory board (CPF Board, HDB, MAS and JTC) or key government company (GIC and Temasek) listed in the Fifth Schedule.

Alternatively, if you can demonstrate that you have the experience and ability comparable to those who qualify under Articles 19(3)(a) and 19(3)(b), and the Presidential Elections Committee is satisfied that you can carry out the functions and duties required of the President, you can still be granted eligibility to run for election under Article 19(3)(c). This is known as the Public Sector Deliberative Track.

One thing we've always been confused about: How do you choose which soldiers to talk to during NDP? What happens if you talk to no one at all? Or even better, what if you decide to talk to everyone?

But there’s more than one path to become President. If you hail from the private sector, you’re more than welcome to contest for the election.

Not that it’ll be any easier.

Under Article 19(4)(a), you must have served at least three years as the chief executive of a company with at least S$500 million in average shareholders’ equity. Your company also can’t fall below the S$500 million valuation during the most recent three-year period of your term.

And you’ll need to be a good chief executive, since your company must be profitable (post-tax) the entire time you were the chief executive. The company should not be subject to any insolvency event (e.g. ordered to be wound up; or wound up; or ordered to be placed under judicial management) within three years of the last day of your service, or until the Writ of Election is issued, whichever is earlier.

Alternatively, if you can demonstrate that you have the experience and ability comparable to the criteria under Article 19(4)(a) (i.e. your S$500 million company CEO), and the Presidential Elections Committee is satisfied that you can carry out the functions and duties required of the President, you can still be granted eligibility to run for election under Article 19(4)(b). This is known as the Private Sector Deliberative Track.

As you should know by now, just being eligible to run for President is a tall task, whether you come from the public or private sector.

That’s to be expected though, given the heavy responsibilities that will fall on your shoulders.

What does Singapore’s President do?

As President, you will be our Head of State, and you’ll be playing more than just a ceremonial role.

You’ll be a symbol of national unity, and also have custodial powers as conferred by the Constitution.

As President, you’ll be responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the public service: you’ll have the power to veto appointments to key public offices and can also veto the removal of individuals from said appointments.

Another thing you’ll need to do as President is to safeguard the nation’s reserves – this means you can veto any budget or specific transaction if it’s likely to draw on past reserves.

For a more detailed job description of what to expect as president, you can read up more on the Elections Department’s website.

However, do remember that the President has no independent political role and must act in accordance with the Cabinet’s advice, especially when expressing views on legislation or government policy. Unless, of course, it’s matters related to the President’s custodial powers, in which case you’ll be able to exercise them at your discretion.

In a few months, this could be you.

Key milestones in the race to the Istana

Let's say you managed to fulfil all the requirements to even qualify for the presidential race.

There are a few key dates that you need to take note of.

You'll need to apply to the Presidential Elections Committee for a Certificate of Eligibility (they're the folks who need to be convinced that you've integrity, good character and reputation, and that you’ve fulfilled the relevant private/ public sector service requirements).

You'll also need to submit a community declaration to the Community Committee to declare if you belong to the Chinese community, the Malay community, or the Indian or Other Minority communities. This is to ascertain when the next reserved election will be held.

Applications opened on Jun. 13 and will close on the fifth day after the Writ of Election is issued. Don't be tardy though, because late submissions won’t be entertained.

Once Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong issues the Writ of Election, the Elections Department will announce the details of Nomination Day.

On Nomination Day, you will need to present your nomination papers and certificates to the Returning Officer at the Nomination Centre between 11am and 12pm. Again, it's a small window, so don't be late.

If only one candidate is successfully nominated, the Returning Officer will declare the nominated candidate elected to the office of President.

If more than one candidate is successfully nominated, then you’ve just given Singaporeans the chance to have an extra public holiday to go to the polls. On a more serious note, this is when you’ll have to start your campaign to convince Singaporeans that you're the right choice.

Campaigning period starts after the close of Nomination proceedings on Nomination Day and ends at the start of Cooling-off Day. Remember that you cannot campaign on Cooling-off Day, which is the eve of Polling Day.

You'll wait as Singaporeans go to the polls on Polling Day (and then wait some more as the votes are counted) before the Returning Officer declares the candidate who receives the highest number of votes to be Singapore's next elected president.

If you'd like to run for president, you can find the Constitution here, and the Eligibility Criteria for Presidential Candidates here.

Good luck.

And may the odds ever be in your favour.

 Top photo from Istana's website and flaticon. All other photos from President Halimah's Facebook.

This article is brought to you by the Elections Department.