Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam is off to a flying start: His Presidential Election 2023 campaign posters are already being put up islandwide like clockwork.

Barely five hours after his candidacy was confirmed following proceedings at the nomination centre around noon on Aug. 22, election posters of Tharman were seen islandwide.

#Singapore #Presidential #election Posters of Tharman Shanmugaratnam are already hung along the roads. Some of the helpers with the remaining posters. pic.twitter.com/jyj2XGGzUc

— Karen M. Fu (@karen_fu) August 22, 2023

Checks by Mothership showed that his posters were up in Sengkang, Hougang, Geylang, Eunos, Jurong, Kallang, Tiong Bahru, Tampines by 5pm.

Campaigning rules

According to the Elections Department Singapore, the campaign period commences once nomination proceedings end up until the start of Cooling-off Day, otherwise known as the eve of Polling Day.

Campaigning material, such as posters, can be put up once nomination proceedings have ended.

As the office of the president is the highest position in the land, the focus of the presidential election campaign should be on the suitability and integrity of candidates to discharge the functions of the president, while maintaining the dignity of the office, ELD added.

Campaign financing

As per the election finance regulations governing expenses for presidential elections in Singapore, a candidate has a maximum spending limit of S$600,000 or 30 cents for each elector on the Registers of Electors for all electoral divisions, whichever is greater.

For example, if there are 3 million eligible voters this presidential election, the limit is S$900,000.

Candidates can spend up to S$812,822.10 in election expenses for the upcoming presidential election, ELD said on Aug. 12.

More than 2.7 million people are eligible to vote this round, according to the updated voter roll as of July 2023 -- an increase of over 55,000 people from the 2,653,942 electors in the last general election in 2020.

In 2017, the limit was S$754,982, while in 2011, the limit was S$682,431.

Spending in excess of the maximum spending limit is an illegal practice, ELD added.

This is to ensure a level playing field and to prevent "money politics", ELD explained.

Campaigning can be conducted offline and online.

All photos via Syahindah Ishak or Julia Yee