Parliamentary Elections Act 1954 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 3 · Elections
83. Persons prohibited from conducting election activity
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2023. 2 amendments in all.
A person —
who is below 16 years of age;
against whom an order of supervision has been made under section 30(1)(b) of the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act 1955; or
who is a foreigner or a foreign entity,(d)[Deleted by Act 8 of 2023 wef 14/06/2024]must not take part in any election activity.
[Deleted by Act 8 of 2023 wef 14/06/2024]
A person must not conduct any election activity unless the person is in possession of a written authority signed by a candidate or his or her election agent in Form 22 or Form 23 (as the case may be) in the First Schedule and such authority must be issued only on or after the day of nomination.
election
“election” means an election for the purpose of electing a Member of Parliament;
Every candidate and election agent must supply particulars in duplicate of all written authorities issued by him or her under subsection (2) to the Returning Officer, who must on receipt thereof forward a copy of those particulars to the Commissioner of Police.
candidate
“candidate” means a person who is nominated as a candidate for election to any seat in Parliament;
A candidate or an election agent must, if so required by the Commissioner of Police, immediately withdraw and deliver to the Returning Officer the written authority given by the candidate or election agent to any person who is stated by the Commissioner of Police to be a person in respect of whom an order has been made under section 30(1)(b) of the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act 1955.
Returning Officer
“Returning Officer” means the Returning Officer appointed under section 3;
Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
A candidate or an election agent must not authorise any person to conduct an election activity, knowing or having reason to believe that the person is below 16 years of age or is a foreigner or a foreign entity, or that an order has been made in respect of the person under section 30(1)(b) of the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act 1955.
Every offence under this section for contravening subsection (1) or (2) is an arrestable offence within the meaning of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010.
In this section, “election activity” includes any activity (other than clerical work wholly performed within enclosed premises) which is done for the purpose of —
promoting or procuring the electoral success at any election for one or more identifiable political parties, candidates or groups of candidates; or
prejudicing the electoral prospects of other political parties, candidates or groups of candidates at the election.
However, “election activity” excludes a third party publishing, or causing to be published, any content in any way that renders the content accessible from the Internet, where all or part of the production of the content or its publication is not paid for, in money or money’s worth, by the third party or by another person who may or may not be a third party.
Nothing in this section prohibits the taking part in or conduct of election activity by any prescribed individual, or individual in a prescribed class of individuals, or the carrying out by any prescribed person, or person in a prescribed class of persons, of such type of work as is prescribed, being work that is performed solely pursuant to a contract for service entered into with a person authorised to conduct election activity under this section.