ELD: PROSPECTIVE PE CANDIDATES CAN CAMPAIGN BEFORE NOMINATION DAY

Dear A.S.S. Editor

In a not surprising clarification from the Elections Department, they have confirmed that there is no offence if prospective candidates campaign before Nomination Day. This comes hot on the heels of potential candidates Halimah Yacob and Farid Khan being questioned online of having contravened campaigning rules before Nomination Day.

Halimah Yacob had set up a website on Aug 25, which included an invitation for people to “join me in my journey”, while Mr Khan had posted a Facebook video on Monday “in a bid to shed more light into my road to Presidency”. An ELD spokesperson clarified that “It is not an offence for a prospective candidate, who has declared himself as seeking nomination as a candidate at an election, to campaign before Nomination Day.”

On campaigning rules, the ELD had stated on its website that “candidates can only start their election campaigns from the close of nomination, and up to before the eve of Polling Day”.

The spokesperson said these rules apply after the close of Nomination Day and ends on the eve of Polling Day, and applies to candidates who have been successfully nominated. Campaign activities refer to “those that can be reasonably regarded as intending to promote or procure the electoral success of a candidate at an election or to otherwise enhance the candidate’s standing with the electorate for the election”, ELD said.

Chan MC

A.S.S.Contributor