PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BROADCASTS

Presidential Candidate Broadcasts (PCBs) refer to free broadcast airtime for Presidential candidates to share their campaigning messages with the voters during the campaign period at the national level.

There will be two PCBs, with each PCB transmitted once on television and once on radio. The duration of airtime will be the same for both PCBs. All PCBs should not contain statements of a defamatory or criminal nature.

The order of the first PCB on radio and television will be determined based on the alphabetical ordering of the candidates’ names as reflected in the Registers of Electors. This order will be reversed for the second PCB.

Candidates may deliver their campaigning messages during PCBs in all or any of the four official languages i.e. English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil. It is not compulsory to deliver their campaigning messages in all four official languages. The maximum time allocated for each candidate is 10 minutes per language per PCB. The content must be the same for all language versions of a PCB.

Candidates must provide their own scripts for all languages that they intend to speak in. Candidates may also provide translated scripts for languages that they do not intend to speak in, which will be used by Mediacorp for voiceovers and subtitling. Where the script for a particular language is not provided, the candidate will not be allowed to deliver his campaign message in the corresponding language version.

	SUBMISSION OF FILMS FOR CLASSIFICATION

Candidates who intend to distribute or publicly exhibit films must submit them to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) for classification, unless the film is exempted from classification. Candidates or their representatives may refer to https://iris.imda.gov.sg for more details.

All films submitted before the issue of Writ of Election will be evaluated before Nomination Day. Films submitted after the issue of Writ of Election will be cleared within three working days.

Where clarifications are required on the films, the applicant must respond to IMDA within the timeframe communicated by IMDA in order for the film to be processed expeditiously.

Films that are only posted online during the election period need not be submitted for classification, but they should comply with the other laws (such as the Presidential Elections Act 1991) and the Internet Code of Practice.

	PROHIBITION ON PARTY POLITICAL FILMS

Candidates are reminded that the making, distribution and exhibition of party political films (PPFs) is disallowed. PPFs include films which are made by any person and directed towards any political end in Singapore, such as those intended or likely to affect voting in any election in Singapore. Examples of PPFs are films which employ dramatisation and/or animation to distort, sensationalise or mislead viewers on political matters. In using film as a platform to conduct political discourse, candidates should respect the need to keep politics rational and grounded on facts.

Candidates should ensure that films are factual and objective, and do not dramatise and/or present an inaccurate account. The following will not be considered PPFs:

1. live recordings of performances, assemblies or processions that are held in accordance with the law;
2. factual documentaries, biographies or autobiographies;
3. films (without animation or dramatic elements) of a candidate's declaration of policies or ideology on the basis of which the candidate will seek to be elected, that are produced by or on behalf of the candidate; and
4. films made solely for the purpose of reporting of news by a licensed broadcasting service.

Candidates are advised to refer to sections 2(2) and 2(3) of the Films Act 1981 for further details on what does or does not constitute a PPF.