At Stake in this Election: 

• The Presidency of Singapore 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President HALIMAH Yacob (since 14 September 2017) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004) 

• Assembly: unicameral Parliament with up to 120 seats 

• The current Parliament has 99 members 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by simple majority vote and may serve an unlimited number of 6-year terms. If the presidency has not been held by a certain ethnic group (Chinese, Malay, Indian and others) for the last 5 terms, a reserved election is held in which only candidates from that group are eligible to run. 

• The Prime Minister, typically the parliamentary majority leader, is appointed by the President. 

• In Parliament, 88 members are directly elected by plurality vote. Additionally, up to 12 of the highest-polling opposition candidates may be named as non-constituency members (NCMPs), and up to 9 members may be nominated by a parliamentary committee and confirmed by the President. 

Last Election: 

In 2017, HALIMAH Yacob was elected unopposed in an election reserved for Malay candidates. No other candidate met eligibility requirements, so she was officially named as president on Nomination Day. Voting did not occur. 

New/Unique in this Election:  

After the reserved election of 2017, this election will be open to candidates of all ethnic groups. Incumbent HALIMAH Yacob will not seek reelection. 

Key Deadlines:  

• Candidate filing deadline: 17 August 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A; Voter registration is passive and residence-based.  

• The register of electors was closed for review on 1 June 2023, and voters could request reinstatement or changes to their registration from 15-28 June 2023. 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

In Singapore, presidential candidates must not be members of a political party. 

• Ng Kok Song 

• Shanmugaratnam Tharman 

• Tan Kin Lian 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 5,975,383 (2023) 

• Registered Voters: 2,709,455 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 2,987,692 (2023) 

• CEDAW Status: Ratified (by accession) 5 October 1995 

• Gender Quota: No 

• Female Candidates in this election: 0 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 30 out of 103 (29.1%) in Parliament  

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.939, Very High, Rank 12 (2021) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 46, High (2023)  

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 12 November 2012, Ratified 18 July 2013 

• Projected population with a disability: 896,307 (2023) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Singapore: No  

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 4 judgements and 7 resources