President of Singapore

The President of Singapore is the head of state. In parliamentary systems like the Westminster system, which Singapore employs, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of President is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President was elected by the unicameral Parliament, with executive power remaining with the Prime Minister. The President's flag is a banner of the country's coat of arms. The President is a constitutional head of state, with duties similar to those of the British monarch, although constitutional changes have given the holder of the office new reserve powers. The President's official residence is called the Istana. Although the president should be elected by universal suffrage, the People's Action Party of Singapore which holds political power in Singapore and is headed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has disqualified all contenders except one from running for office.

Qualifications and Disabilities of the President

The following is taken from http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/. Certain changes have been made for this entry. Please refer to the website for more details.

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Qualifications and disabilities of President

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(1) No person shall be elected President unless he is qualified for election in accordance with the provisions of the Singapore Constitution.

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(2) A person shall be qualified to be elected as President if he ?

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(a) is a citizen of Singapore;

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(b) is not less than 45 years of age;

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(c) possesses the qualifications specified in Article 44 (2) (c) and (d) ie. his name appears in a current register of electors; he is resident in Singapore at the date of his nomination for election and has been so resident for periods amounting in the aggregate to not less than 10 years prior to that date;

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(d) is not subject to any of the disqualifications specified in Article 45, i.e.

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(1)(i) is and has been found or declared to be of unsound mind; (ii) is an undischarged bankrupt; (iii) holds an office of profit; (iv) having been nominated for election to Parliament or the office of President or having acted as election agent to a person so nominated, has failed to lodge any return of election expenses required by law within the time and in the manner so required; (v) has been convicted of an offence by a court of law in Singapore or Malaysia and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than $2,000 and has not received a free pardon: Provided that where the conviction is by a court of law in Malaysia, the person shall not be so disqualified unless the offence is also one which, had it been committed in Singapore, would have been punishable by a court of law in Singapore; (vi) has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of, or exercised rights of citizenship in, a foreign country, or has made a declaration of allegiance to a foreign country; or (vii) is disqualified under any law relating to offences in connection with elections to Parliament or the office of President by reason of having been convicted of such an offence or having in proceedings relating to such an election been proved guilty of an act constituting such an offence.

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(2) The disqualification of a person under clause (1) (iv) or (v) may be removed by the President and shall, if not so removed, cease at the end of 5 years beginning from the date on which the return mentioned in clause (1) (iv) was required to be lodged or, as the case may be, the date on which the person convicted as mentioned in clause (1) (v) was released from custody or the date on which the fine mentioned in clause (1) (v) was imposed on such person; and a person shall not be disqualified under clause (1) (f) by reason only of anything done by him before he became a citizen of Singapore.

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(3) In clause (1) (f), ?foreign country? does not include any part of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.;

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(e) satisfies the Presidential Elections Committee that he is a person of integrity, good character and reputation;

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(f) is not a member of any political party on the date of his nomination for election; and

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(g) has for a period of not less than 3 years held office ?

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(i) as Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, Attorney-General, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Auditor-General, Accountant-General or Permanent Secretary;

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(ii) as chairman or chief executive officer of a statutory board to which Article 22A applies;

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(iii) as chairman of the board of directors or chief executive officer of a company incorporated or registered under the Companies Act (Cap. 50) with a paid-up capital of at least $100 million or its equivalent in foreign currency; or

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(iv) in any other similar or comparable position of seniority and responsibility in any other organization or department of equivalent size or complexity in the public or private sector which, in the opinion of the Presidential Elections Committee, has given him such experience and ability in administering and managing financial affairs as to enable him to carry out effectively the functions and duties of the office of President.

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(3) The President shall ?

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(a) not hold any other office created or recognized by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore;

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(b) not actively engage in any commercial enterprise;

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(c) not be a member of any political party; and

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(d) if he is a member of Parliament, vacate his seat in Parliament.

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(4)(a) if he is a member of any political party, resign as a member of that party; or

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(b) vacate his seat in Parliament or any other office created or recognized by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore.

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