Singapore’s 2023 presidential election: The presidency continues to evolve

• Main Author: ONG, Benjamin Joshua
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2024
• Subjects: Asian Studies; Election Law
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/4498
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Singapore’s 2023 presidential election, in which Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam was elected President, saw debates about the Presidency’s nature and future directions continue—perhaps more intensely than ever before. Important issues that arose included the qualifying criteria which one must meet to contest in a presidential election, including relevant experience and “integrity, good character and reputation”; and the concept of “independence” and how it relates to the Presidency; the extent of, and limits to, the President’s role. This chapter discusses those issues; highlights certain more granular issues relating to the polling process; and comments on the result of the election. Finally, the chapter discusses an amendment to the Constitution, made shortly after President Tharman’s inauguration, relating to the President’s ability to participate in international organizations in his private capacity. This amendment, like several before it, and like the debates surrounding the 2023 election, demonstrates that Singapore’s elected Presidency, like other state institutions, is always evolving to meet new challenges and better meet old ones.