SINGAPORE – More than $1.1 million was spent by the three Presidential Election 2023 candidates during their nine-day campaign, with the bulk of the costs going to advertising.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who won the election on Sept 1 with 70.4 per cent of the vote, spent the most at $738,717, with almost two-thirds of his expenses – $481,226 – going into non-online election advertising, which included posters, fliers and banners.

He spent $141,865 on online election advertising.

In contrast, former GIC investment chief Ng Kok Song, who ran an online and social media-focused campaign, spent $280,800 on online advertising and $1,059 on non-online ads.

He spent $312,131 in total.

The third candidate, former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian, spent $71,366 in total, with $69,478 going towards non-online ads and $20 towards online ads.

These details were made available on Friday in the candidates’ election returns that can be accessed online on the Election Department’s website.

This is the first time after an election that those who are interested in looking up the documents can do so online and at no charge.

Previously, for the 2020 General Election, those who wanted to inspect the documents could do so only in person and had to pay the department $2 to inspect each candidate’s returns.

The returns will be available for inspection for six months, till April 19, 2024.

Candidates were each allowed 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.

The bulk of Mr Tharman’s advertising costs came from the brochures that were printed and posted to households, costing his campaign $284,820.68.

He spent $150,120 on election posters and banners.

During his campaign, Mr Tharman held an election meeting with about 650 registered guests from the public at Pasir Panjang Power Station.

It cost him $8,640 to rent the venue.

He also paid $300 for the removal of contravening banners, flags or posters. 

The Elections Department had said that any advertisements that did not adhere to stated conditions could be directed for removal by the Returning Officer.

Should this occur, candidates would have to bear the expenses of removing each unauthorised banner, flag or poster, at $50 a piece.

This cost would then have to be included as part of the candidates’ election expenses.

Mr Tharman had six such advertisements removed.

Five were displayed within 50m of a polling station, while one was displayed on a tree without the consent of the National Parks Board.

Mr Tharman’s campaign received $800,000 in donations, with $200,000 coming from Mr Koh Poh Tiong, former National Kidney Foundation chairman, and another $200,000 from Mr Wong Ngit Liong, executive chairman of the Venture Group of companies.

A spokesman for Mr Tharman’s campaign said the excess funds will be returned to donors in proportion to their donations.

The spokesman later added that all donors have decided to put their share of the excess funds towards the President’s Star Charity.

For Mr Ng’s campaign, in accordance with what he had said while on the campaign trail, the returns showed that he did not receive any donations.

He had said then that he would use his personal savings to fund his campaign.

His returns showed that his expenses largely went to Gushcloud, a marketing, entertainment and talent agency. All $280,800 that he spent on online advertising was paid to the firm.

Gushcloud provided services such as website design and development, copywriting for social media accounts and press releases, and video production.

Mr Ng also paid for daily social media analytics.

Mr Tan received donations for his campaign through more than 120 PayNow transactions, with amounts ranging from $1 to $9,800.

The only cash donor, Bollywood Veggies founder Ivy Singh-Lim, who was spotted during the campaign showing her support for Mr Tan, contributed the largest overall donation of $9,990.

Other donors included Mr Tan’s principal election agent Prabu Ramachandran, who contested the 2020 General Election with opposition party Peoples Voice, and Mr Allan Yeo Gim Beng, a businessman who was one of Mr Tan’s assenters.

Mr Tan’s campaign expenses included the printing of 5,000 posters which cost $29,912 and were put up across Singapore over three days.

Former president Halimah Yacob spent $220,875 in her 2017 campaign, mostly on promotional materials.

In the 2011 Presidential Election, which was contested by four candidates, total spending hit $1.32 million. 

Winning candidate Tony Tan spent $503,070, and runner-up Tan Cheng Bock, the top spender, spent $585,045.

Mr Tan Kin Lian, who also contested the 2011 election, spent $70,912 that year.