S'pore GE2025: Parliament dissolved, Nomination Day on Apr. 23

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam dissolved Parliament today (Apr. 15), setting the stage for the 2025 General Election.

A Writ of Election is expected to be issued shortly. This specifies the date and location where the nomination of candidates will take place. It is usually issued on the same day that Parliament is dissolved.

Nomination Day will take place on Apr. 23, 2025.

Here's what comes next.

Nomination Day

Nomination Day is when prospective candidates present themselves at an assigned centre to submit their nomination papers, election deposits, and certificates.

If more than one individual or group of candidates are nominated for a particular electoral division (i.e. a GRC or SMC), a notice of contested election is issued, indicating when Polling Day will occur.

Campaign Period

Once Nomination Day ends, the campaigning begins.

The campaign period runs from after the notice of contested election is issued until the start of Cooling-off Day, the day before Polling Day.

The law dictates that Polling Day must take place between 10 and 56 days after the notice of contested election is published.

However, the campaign period has typically been nine days long, based on the past few elections.

Cooling-off Day

The day before Polling Day is known as Cooling-off Day, where election campaigning is prohibited for 24 hours.

This one-day "campaign silence period" is meant to give voters time to "reflect rationally on issues raised during the election before going to the polls."

There is a list of prohibited activities and exceptions on Cooling-off Day here.

Polling Day

Then comes the big day, Polling Day.

Polling Day is a public holiday and may fall on a Saturday.

Voters will vote at their allocated polling stations between 8:00am and 8:00pm.

Overseas voters will also go to the polls at overseas polling stations but these stations must close before polling ends in Singapore.

Sample Count & Counting Votes

The counting for votes will begin with a sample count of a random bundle of 100 ballots, which provides an early indication of the possible electoral outcome of an electoral division.

According to the Elections Department (ELD), the sample count prevents speculation and misinformation from unofficial sources while counting is underway and helps election officials check against the electoral division's election result.

After the ballots are fully counted at one counting centre, the results are transmitted to the principal counting place, where the results from all of the counting centres in Singapore are compiled.

If the number of overseas votes has no impact on the election, the candidate or group of candidates with the greatest number of votes are declared to be elected.

If the overseas votes could impact the outcome, the number of votes cast in Singapore in favour of the candidate or group of candidates is announced, and the declaration of their election is deferred until the day that the overseas votes are counted.

After the overseas votes are counted, the final results will be published in the Singapore Government Gazette.

Destruction of Ballot Papers

Once the vote count ends, the ballot papers and other documents used in the election are sealed and kept in a secured place for six months.

After six months, they are destroyed unless otherwise directed by the President.

This is done to ensure the secrecy of the vote.

Top photo from Parliament of Singapore