Under Singapore law, Nomination Day must be at least 5 days (not including Sundays or public holidays) and not more than one month after the date of the Writ for an election.
All forms and certificates must be delivered in duplicate by the prospective candidate or nominee in person, accompanied by his/her proposer, seconder and at least four assentors, to the Returning Officer or his staff at the designated Nomination Centre for that electoral division on Nomination Day.
It is advisable for candidates to submit their Nomination papers between 11 am and 12 noon to allow time for errors or omissions to be corrected.
Speeches at Nomination Centre[]
Candidates of both contested and uncontested electoral divisions (also known as constituencies) may be given a chance by the Returning Officer to address their supporters at the close of nomination proceedings, in accordance with conditions set by the Returning Officer. These conditions may include the sequence of the speeches for candidates or groups of candidates for both uncontested constituencies and contested constituencies, and the duration of the speeches. Non-candidates will not be allowed to make speeches.
At the close of the nomination period, where only one candidate in a Single Member Constituency (SMC), or one group of candidates in a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) stands nominated, the Returning Officer will declare at the Nomination Centre that the candidate or the group of candidates have been elected and will be returned as MP(s). This is also called a walkover.
Where more than one candidate (SMC) or more than one group of candidates (GRC) stand nominated in a particular electoral division, the Returning Officer will adjourn the election to a date where a poll will be taken, i.e. Polling Day.