SINGAPORE – The election expenses of the 2023 Presidential Election candidates will be open for inspection online from 9am on Friday.
This is the first time that returns on election expenses and the declarations submitted by presidential candidates have been available for inspection online after the polls.
The returns will be available for inspection for six months, till April 19, 2024.
Also, for the first time, it will be free for people to inspect the returns.
The Elections Department said in a statement on Thursday that those who wish to inspect the returns can log in to its digital service using their Singpass details to view the returns from 9am on Friday.
There were three candidates in the 2023 presidential election: newly sworn-in President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, former GIC investment chief Ng Kok Song and former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian.
Under the Presidential Elections Act, the principal election agents of all candidates must submit a return of election expenses and declarations by the principal election agent and the candidate to the Returning Officer.
This must be done within 31 days after the election result is published in the Government Gazette.
“The returns and declarations are required to ensure accountability and transparency over each candidate’s campaign finances,” the department’s statement said.
Each candidate was allowed to spend up to $812,822.10 in election expenses.
This was based on the maximum spending limit in the Presidential Elections Act, which is $600,000 or 30 cents per registered voter, whichever is greater.
In the 2017 Presidential Election, former president Halimah Yacob spent $220,875, mostly on promotional materials.
Apart from election posters and banners, money could have been spent on logistics, food and refreshments for volunteers, as well as on training and consultation for candidates on how to manage social media.
For the 2020 General Election, returns for candidates were available for inspection only in person, and those who were interested in inspecting them had to make an appointment with the Elections Department at least one working day in advance.
They also had to pay the department $2 to inspect each candidate’s returns.
