Presidential candidates Ng Kok Song, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Tan Kin Lian have been invited to the presidential forum hosted by Mediacorp tonight (Aug. 28) at 9pm.

This will be the first and only live debate during the 2023 presidential election.

Live broadcast

The presidential forum will be broadcast live on CNA tonight (Aug. 28) at 9 pm.

This will also be live-streamed on CNA’s YouTube and Facebook channels, with a repeated telecast on Channel 5 on Aug. 29.

The other three broadcasts are recorded prior to their release.

The first “Presidential Candidate Broadcast” was televised on Aug. 24, and the second “Presidential Candidate Broadcast” will be aired on Aug. 30.

SPH Media Trust also released a video of presidential candidates answering questions from younger Singaporeans on their website and social media platforms yesterday (Aug. 27).

While the topics of the forum have not been announced, issues which may arise include the independence of the presidency and the politicising of the 2023 presidential elections.

Will all candidates be present?

At this moment, it is uncertain if all candidates will be present at the forum.

On Aug. 27, The Straits Times (ST) posted a 19-minute video where Ng and Tharman took turns answering questions from young Singaporeans.

They had 90 seconds to answer each of the six questions.

Questions posed to them included:

• "How would you represent Singapore as our ninth president?"
• "How have your experiences in your youth helped shape you into the leader you are today?"
• "How would you handle a situation like corruption by our politicians?"

ST stated that Tan declined their invitation to be part of the show.

Preparing for the debate

Ng, Tharman and Tan have been meeting residents on the ground over the past week, visiting about one to two locations each day.

Tan and Tharman did not make their respective rounds on Aug. 28.

Ng continued with his walkabouts and made an appearance this morning at Ayer Rajah Food Centre, and will be at Lau Pa Sat in the afternoon.

Related articles

Top images by Mothership