Four candidates are eligible to contest this month's presidential election in Singapore, the government said on Thursday, paving the way for polls that will be seen as an unofficial referendum on the ruling People's Action Party.
If more than one candidate formally submits nomination papers, it will be the first time since 1993 that the presidential election will be contested.
The four are former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan, former CEO of insurance firm NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian, marine transport firm Chuan Hup Holdings chairman Tan Cheng Bock, and former regional managing director of investment firm AIB Govett (Asia) Tan Jee Say.
Singapore's directly elected president is widely seen as a ceremonial position and will probably remain so if Tony Tan, who last headed Singapore's biggest sovereign wealth fund GIC, is elected. Tan has been endorsed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and outgoing president S. R. Nathan.
If an alternative candidate wins, the new president may exercise his veto powers more aggressively, and the government could face difficulty nominating people to senior positions in government bodies including sovereign wealth funds GIC and Temasek.
The other candidates have either been critical of the government, or are linked to opposition parties.
Singapore's long-ruling People's Action Party swept back to power in May in the most hotly contested general election since independence, but the opposition also made historic gains.
Candidates must submit their nominations on Aug. 17, and the election will take place on Aug 27.
Nathan, whose term ends this month, won in a landslide in 1999 and was returned unopposed six years later, due largely to the tough conditions set by the government for prospective candidates.
Under Singapore's constitution, candidates must have served either at least three years in a top government position, or as chairman or chief executive of a Singapore-registered firm with paid-up capital of at least S$100 million (US$82 million).
REUTERS Business & Investment Opportunities
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