Singapore legislation

Regulation 22

of Presidential Elections (Crisis Management) Regulations 2023

Regulation 22

Crisis management powers in relation to counting

Subregulation 1

The Returning Officer may exercise any crisis management power in paragraph (2) if, at any time before or during the counting of votes in respect of an election, the Returning Officer is of the opinion that the counting of votes at a counting place is or is likely to be disrupted.

Subregulation 2

The Returning Officer may —

(a)

temporarily suspend the counting at the affected counting place for a specified period (which must not exceed 2 hours), with or without specifying another location for the affected counting place;

(b)

adjourn and postpone the counting at the affected counting place to a specified date (which must not be later than the 56th day after the date of publication of the notice of contested election in the Gazette under section 16(5) of the Act) and specified time, with or without specifying another location for the affected counting place; or

(c)

if the Returning Officer is satisfied that counting at the affected counting place cannot be resumed or completed — wholly abandon the counting at the affected counting place.

Subregulation 3

If counting at the affected counting place is wholly abandoned under paragraph (2)(c) and the Returning Officer is satisfied that the number of votes to be counted will not affect the result of the election —

(a)

polling need not be restarted for the polling stations in respect of which the affected counting place is specified; and

(b)

in a case where a recount is abandoned, the Returning Officer may declare the result of the election using the first count.

Subregulation 4

In any other case where counting at the affected counting place is wholly abandoned under paragraph (2)(c) —

(a)

polling must be restarted for the polling stations in respect of which that counting place is specified; and

(b)

the Returning Officer must specify the date, hours, and location for the restarted poll, and the specified date —

(i)

must fall within the time delimited by Article 17A(2) of the Constitution; and

(ii)

must not be later than the 56th day after the date of publication of the notice of contested election in the Gazette under section 16(5) of the Act.

Read in full context — Presidential Elections (Crisis Management) Regulations 2023 →