Parliamentary Elections Act 1954

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“ballot box” includes a ballot container;

“ballot display” means an electronic video display, image or representation of a ballot paper on a screen;

“candidate” means a person who is nominated as a candidate for election to any seat in Parliament;

“Commissioner of National Registration” means the Commissioner of National Registration appointed under the National Registration Act 1965;

“contact address”, in relation to any person, means the person’s contact address under section 10(2) of the National Registration Act 1965;

“direct recording electronic voting machine” or “DRE voting machine” means any mechanical, electronic or electro‑optical machine that can —

“direct recording electronic voting system” or “DRE voting system” means any voting system using DRE voting machines;

“election” means an election for the purpose of electing a Member of Parliament;

“election advertising” means any poster, banner, notice, circular, handbill, illustration, article, advertisement or other material that can reasonably be regarded as intended —

“elector” means a person whose name is entered in a register as an elector to vote at an election;

“electoral division” means an electoral division specified in the notification for the time being in force under section 8;

“general election” means a general election of Members after a dissolution of Parliament;

“group” means a group of not less than 3 but not more than 6 candidates nominated for any election in any group representation constituency in accordance with section 27B;

“group representation constituency” means any electoral division declared to be a group representation constituency under section 8A(1)(a);

“Member” means a Member of Parliament;

“overseas elector” means an elector who is registered under this Act as an overseas elector;

“overseas polling station” means such of the following premises situated outside Singapore as the Returning Officer may approve under section 36A(2) to be an overseas polling station:

“overseas registration centre” means an overseas registration centre established under section 10(4);

“Parliament” means the Parliament of Singapore established by the Constitution;

“political party” means a political party which is registered under the Societies Act 1966;

“polling district” means a part of an electoral division subdivided under section 9;

“polling station” means any polling station established by or under the authority of the Returning Officer under section 36A for voters to cast their votes at an election, and includes any overseas polling station;

“presidential election” means an election under the Presidential Elections Act 1991;

“principal election agent” means an election agent of a candidate in a group who has been appointed under section 62(5) as the principal election agent for that group;

“public authority” means any body corporate, board or authority established by or under any written law for the performance of any public function, but excludes any Town Council constituted under the Town Councils Act 1988;

“publish” means make available to the general public, or any section thereof, in whatever form and by whatever means, including broadcasting (by wireless telegraphy or otherwise) and transmitting on what is commonly known as the Internet;

“register” or “register of electors” means the register of electors for any particular electoral division comprising sections, each of which shall relate to a polling district of that electoral division;

“Registration Officer” and “Assistant Registration Officer” mean respectively the Registration Officer and an Assistant Registration Officer appointed under section 3;

“Returning Officer” means the Returning Officer appointed under section 3;

“Revising Officer” means a Revising Officer appointed under section 12;

“voter” means a person who, whether his or her name does or does not appear in a register of electors, applies to vote or votes at an election.

For the purposes of this Act —

The Minister may appoint a Registration Officer, a Returning Officer and such number of Assistant Registration Officers as the Minister thinks fit.

An Assistant Registration Officer has all the powers and may perform all the duties of the Registration Officer.

Any reference in this Act to the Registration Officer is deemed, unless the context otherwise requires, to include a reference to an Assistant Registration Officer.

An appointment made by the Minister under this section may be revoked by the Minister at any time.

The Registration Officer and the Returning Officer may appoint any number of clerks and interpreters that may be necessary for the purposes of this Act.

The appointments made under subsection (1) may be revoked at any time.

Subject to sections 6 and 7, any person who on the prescribed date in any year —

For the purposes of subsection (1)(b), a person is deemed to be ordinarily resident in Singapore on the prescribed date in a year if the person has resided in Singapore for an aggregate of 30 days during the period of 3 years immediately preceding the prescribed date, even though the person is not resident in Singapore on that date.

For the purposes of the preparation or revision of any register of electors a person who is a citizen of Singapore and to whom an identity card has been issued or deemed to have been issued on or before the prescribed date in any year under the provisions of the National Registration Act 1965 and has not been withdrawn is presumed, until the contrary is shown —

Despite subsection (2), the Registration Officer may, in preparing or revising any register of electors, omit from the register the name of any person where the Registration Officer has reason to believe that the latest address of the person shown on the prescribed date in the register maintained by the Commissioner of National Registration has ceased to exist or to be used as a place of residence or is an address situated outside Singapore.

For the purposes of subsections (1), (1A) and (2), the prescribed date is 1 July or such other date as the Minister may, by order in the Gazette, specify.

No order may be made under subsection (4) between the date of commencement of any preparation or revision of any register of electors for any year and the date of certification of that register under this Act (both dates inclusive).

For the purposes of this section, the contact address of the holder of an identity card is to be regarded as his or her latest address in the register maintained by the Commissioner of National Registration.

No person is entitled to have his or her name entered or retained in any register of electors if he or she —

Without affecting subsection (1), a person who is deemed to be ordinarily resident in Singapore under section 5(1A) is not entitled to have his or her name entered or retained in any register of electors if he or she is —

For the purposes of subsection (1)(b), where the conviction is by a court of law outside Singapore, the person is not so disqualified unless the offence is also one which, had it been committed in Singapore, would have been punishable by a court of law in Singapore.

For the purposes of subsection (1)(a)(ii), the exercise of a vote in —

Subject to the provisions of this Act, a person is entitled to have his or her name entered in the register of one electoral division only.

Any person who votes as an elector —

The court before which a person is convicted under subsection (2) may, in its discretion in the circumstances of any particular case, mitigate or remit any penalty or incapacity which may be imposed in respect of the conviction under section 79.

The Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, specify the names and boundaries of the electoral divisions of Singapore for purposes of elections under this Act.

The number of electoral divisions of Singapore is the total number of the electoral divisions specified in the notification made under subsection (1).

For the purposes of electing Members of Parliament on a group basis to ensure the representation in Parliament of Members from the Malay, Indian and other minority communities under this Act, the President must, subject to this section, by order in the Gazette —

At all times, there must be at least 8 electoral divisions which are not group representation constituencies.

The number of Members to be returned by all group representation constituencies must not be less than one-quarter of the total number of Members to be returned at a general election.

The number of group representation constituencies to be designated under subsection (1)(b)(i) must be three‑fifths of the total number of group representation constituencies; and where that number is not a whole number, it must be rounded to the next higher whole number.

Whenever any electoral division of Singapore is altered or a new division is created, the Registration Officer must —

The subdivision of an electoral division into polling districts may be altered by the Registration Officer as occasion may require; and upon any alteration being made the Registration Officer must take the steps mentioned in subsection (1)(c) and (d) for that electoral division.

Any alteration under subsection (1) comes into effect on the date of the publication of the notice under section 20(1) relating to the next certification of the register of electors for that electoral division, but the revision of the register before that certification must be made on the basis of that alteration.

As soon as may be after the publication of any notification under section 8, the Registration Officer, with such assistance as the Registration Officer may require from the Commissioner of National Registration, must prepare for that year a separate register of electors for each electoral division and must enter in the register the names of all persons who are qualified as electors under section 5 and are not disqualified by any of the provisions of section 6.

The Minister may, before a general election, require the Registration Officer to bring up to date any register prepared under subsection (1) in such manner and by reference to such year as the Minister may direct.

For the purpose of satisfying himself or herself as to the qualification of any elector, the Registration Officer may make such enquiry as he or she may consider necessary.

On the completion of the register for any electoral division, the Registration Officer must give notice in the Gazette that the register is completed and that the register, or a copy of it, is open for inspection at all reasonable hours of the day at the office of the Registration Officer and at such other place or places in or near the electoral division and at such overseas registration centres as may be specified in the notice.

The Registration Officer may, for the purpose of registering persons as overseas electors, establish such number of overseas registration centres as the Registration Officer considers practicable in any embassy, High Commission, diplomatic mission, permanent mission or consulate of Singapore situated in any country or any territory outside Singapore.

Any person who considers that he or she is entitled to have his or her name entered in a register of electors and whose name has been omitted from the register (called in this section the claimant) may apply to the Registration Officer to have his or her name entered in the register.

Every claim under subsection (1) must be in writing and be in Form 3 in the First Schedule, and must reach the Registration Officer within 2 weeks from the date of publication in the Gazette of the notice of completion of the register.

Within 21 days from the expiry of the period of 2 weeks mentioned in subsection (2), the Registration Officer must exhibit notices containing the names and addresses of the claimants (if any) at the place or places in or near the electoral division in which those claimants reside and at the overseas registration centres specified in the notice mentioned in section 10(3).

A claim under subsection (1) may be made at an overseas registration centre and be accompanied by the claimant’s application to be registered as an overseas elector made in accordance with section 13A.

Any person whose name appears in the register for any electoral division may object to the inclusion in the register of his or her own name or the name of any other person appearing in the register or may object to the insertion in the register of the name of any claimant.

In this section and section 12, every person objecting to the inclusion or insertion of any name in the register is called the objector.

Every objection to the inclusion of any name in the register must be made in writing and be in Form 4 in the First Schedule, and must reach the Registration Officer within 2 weeks from the date of publication in the Gazette of the notice of completion of the register.

Every objection to the insertion of the name of any claimant in the register must be made in writing and be in Form 5 in the First Schedule, and must reach the Registration Officer within 6 days from the date on which the notice containing the names of claimants is exhibited under subsection (2A).

[Deleted by Act 18 of 2005]

Subject to subsection (9C), the Registration Officer must, as soon as practicable after receiving an objection to the inclusion or insertion of any name in any register, send a notice of the objection to the person in regard to whom objection has been made.

The notice of objection must be in Form 6 in the First Schedule.

The Registration Officer must as soon as practicable hold a public inquiry into all claims and objections which have been duly made, giving not less than 6 clear days’ written notice of the date on which and the time and place at which the inquiry will commence to each claimant, objector and person in regard to whom objection has been made.

At any such public inquiry, any person appearing to the Registration Officer to be interested in or affected by the subject matter of the inquiry may appear and be heard either by himself or herself or by any other person duly authorised by him or her in writing in that behalf.

Despite subsection (9), the Registration Officer may, without holding any public inquiry —

Subsections (8) and (10) do not apply to a claim rejected by the Registration Officer under subsection (9B)(b).

Subject to subsection (9C), where an objection is made to the inclusion or insertion of any name in the register, the Registration Officer must call upon the objector, or some person authorised in writing in that behalf by the objector, to give prima facie proof of the ground of the objection.

If such prima facie proof is given, the Registration Officer must require proof of the entitlement of the person in regard to whom objection has been made, and —

If, on the date fixed for inquiry into any objection, the objector or a person authorised in writing in that behalf by the objector fails to appear, or appears but fails to give such prima facie proof, then —

If an objection is made and is overruled by the Registration Officer and, in the Registration Officer’s opinion, the objection was made without reasonable cause, the Registration Officer may, if he or she thinks fit, order in writing the objector to pay to the person in regard to whom objection has been made such sum not exceeding $50 as the Registration Officer considers reasonable compensation for any loss of time incurred by the person in consequence of the objection.

If, upon an objection being overruled, the objector appeals under section 12 to the Revising Officer and the appeal is dismissed, and in the opinion of the Revising Officer the appeal was made without reasonable cause, the Revising Officer may, if he or she thinks fit, order in writing the objector to pay to the person in regard to whom objection has been made such sum not exceeding $50 as the Revising Officer considers reasonable compensation for any loss of time incurred by the person in consequence of the appeal.

If any appeal is allowed by the Revising Officer, he or she has power to revise or cancel any order made by the Registration Officer for the payment of compensation by the objector.

Any sum awarded as compensation under this section is recoverable as though the order of the Registration Officer or Revising Officer were an order of a District Court for the recovery of money by that Officer.

For the purpose of hearing appeals against any decision of the Registration Officer, the Minister may appoint such Revising Officers as the Minister thinks fit.

If any claimant, objector or person in regard to whom objection has been made is dissatisfied with the decision of the Registration Officer, he or she may, within 10 days from the date of the decision, appeal to the Revising Officer.

Every appeal under this section must be in writing and must state shortly the ground of appeal.

The Revising Officer must hear such appeals in public giving notice of the dates of the hearing of the appeal to the parties concerned.

It is at the discretion of the Revising Officer whether or not to hear any evidence.

The Revising Officer’s determination of the appeal is final and conclusive and is not to be called in question in any court.

When the Revising Officer has determined the appeals which have been lodged with respect to any register, the Revising Officer must forward to the Registration Officer a statement under the hand of the Revising Officer containing the names which the Revising Officer has decided must be included or inserted in the register and those which the Revising Officer has decided must be expunged from the register, and the Registration Officer must amend the register accordingly.

The Registration Officer must, as soon as conveniently may be after the claims and objections have been adjudicated upon, certify the register of electors for each electoral division in Form 7 in the First Schedule.

The Registration Officer may certify any register in accordance with this section during the pendency of any appeal under section 12 but after the appeal, must insert in or expunge from the certified register the name of any person in accordance with the decision of the Revising Officer on the determination of the appeal.

Nothing in this Act is deemed to prohibit the Registration Officer from correcting any clerical or other error in a register within 7 days after certifying the register.

Any correction of a register under subsection (2) does not affect the entitlement of any person to have his or her name included or retained in the register.

Despite subsections (1), (1A) and (2), the Registration Officer must, on being informed by the Registrar of Citizens that any person has ceased to be a citizen of Singapore under the provisions of the Constitution, or on being informed by the Registrar‑General of Births and Deaths that any person is dead, expunge the name of the person from any register of electors.

Despite anything to the contrary in this Act, the Registration Officer may, at any time after certifying any register of electors for any electoral division, except between the issue of a writ of election under section 24 and polling day appointed for election in that division, remove from the register the name of any person where the Registration Officer has reason to believe that the address of that person as shown in the register has ceased to exist or to be used as his or her place of residence or his or her contact address.

Where the person whose name has been removed under subsection (4) has notified the Commissioner of National Registration in writing of his or her change of address or contact address at the time of the removal of his or her name, the Registration Officer must transfer the name of that person to the appropriate register.

The Registration Officer must not remove or transfer any name under subsection (4) or (4A) unless at least 2 weeks before making the removal or transfer, a notice has been given in the Gazette that the Registration Officer proposes to make the removal or transfer and that a list of the names of persons affected is available for inspection at such time and place or places as may be specified in the notice.

A notice for the purpose of subsection (5) may contain such particulars as the Registration Officer thinks sufficient and appropriate without specifying the names of persons who will be affected by the proposed removal or transfer.

Subject to subsection (7), the Registration Officer has power where any name from any register has been removed by the Registration Officer under subsection (4) —

Where a writ of election has been issued under section 24 for an election in any electoral division, the Registration Officer must not enter any name in the register of that division under subsection (6)(b) until after nomination day or, if a poll is to be taken, until after polling day.

Any person who is not resident in Singapore but whose name is entered in the register of electors for an electoral division and who is entitled to have his or her name so entered or retained in that register of electors may, at any time and in such form or manner as may be prescribed, apply to the Registration Officer to be registered as an overseas elector for that electoral division.

An application under subsection (1) by any person to be registered as an overseas elector must contain or be accompanied by —

An overseas elector may, at any time and in such form or manner as may be prescribed, apply to the Registration Officer —

Despite section 13, the Registration Officer may —

If the Registration Officer receives an application under subsection (1) or (3) during the specified period of an election, the Registration Officer is not required to take any action on the application under subsection (3A) until after that specified period.

Only one overseas polling station may be allotted to a person who is registered as an overseas elector.

The registration of any person under this section as an overseas elector in any register of electors continues in operation until superseded by the coming into operation of the next certified register relating to any area within that electoral division following any preparation of registers under section 10 or any revision of registers under section 14.

For the purposes of subsection (2)(ca)(ii), the exercise of a vote in —

In this section, “specified period” means —

The Minister may from time to time, but in any case not later than 3 years after the last general election, require the Registration Officer to revise the registers of electors and complete the revision before such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

For the purpose of revising a register and of satisfying himself or herself as to the entitlement of any person to registration or determining whether the name of any person should be inserted or retained in, or expunged from, the register, the Registration Officer may make such inquiry as the Registration Officer considers necessary either by himself or herself or through a person appointed by him or her.

Any notice requiring information for the purposes of subsection (2) may be sent by ordinary post to the person from whom the information is required or may be delivered to him or her or to an adult member of his or her household.

All officers in the service of the Government (other than officers of any Government department who are prohibited by law from furnishing information) and all local authorities are authorised and required to furnish to the Registration Officer, or any person appointed by the Registration Officer for the purpose, all the information that he or she may require to enable him or her to revise the register.

Every person who, being in possession of any information required under subsection (2A), fails to give the information to the Registration Officer or to any person appointed by the Registration Officer for the purpose, or wilfully gives any false information, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Without affecting subsection (4), if any person being a registered elector fails to give such information with regard to his or her entitlement to registration to the Registration Officer, or to any person appointed by the Registration Officer for the purpose, within 14 days after the service upon him or her by the Registration Officer of a notice under subsection (2A), his or her name must immediately be expunged from the register by the Registration Officer and he or she is not entitled to have his or her name retained or inserted in the register for the ensuing year.

Every person who is appointed by the Registration Officer and who wilfully suppresses any information relating to the entitlement of any person for registration or relevant for determining whether the name of any person should or should not be retained or inserted in a register, after such information has been furnished to or collected by him or her, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 9 months or to both.

In revising a register of electors, the Registration Officer must enter the names of all persons who are qualified as electors under section 5 and are not disqualified by any of the provisions of section 6.

Upon the completion of the revised register of electors referred to in subsection (1), the Registration Officer must give notice in the Gazette that the register of electors has been completed and that the register, or a copy of the register, is open for inspection at all reasonable hours of the day at the office of the Registration Officer and at such other place or places as may be specified in the notice.

Section 13(1) and (1A) shall apply to the certification of a revised register of electors as they apply to the certification of a register of electors.

Section 13(2) to (7) shall apply to a revised register of electors as they apply to a register of electors.

Subject to section 14, any notice required to be given by the Registration Officer or a Revising Officer is sufficiently given if sent by registered post to the address (if any) given in the claim or objection, or in default of that address, to the address given in the register of electors.

The Registration Officer or a Revising Officer may adjourn any proceedings before him or her under this Act to any convenient time and place.

In preparing or revising a register of electors, the Registration Officer may, in his or her discretion, enter the name of any person in the register of electors for such electoral division as the Registration Officer considers appropriate if that person is residing in a building which is located on a common boundary between 2 or more electoral divisions.

The decision of the Registration Officer under subsection (1) is final and conclusive and is not to be called in question in any court.

On the certification of a register under this Act, the Registration Officer must give notice in the Gazette that the register has been certified and that the register, or a copy of the register, is open for inspection at all reasonable hours of the day at the office of the Registration Officer and at such other place or places in the division to which the register relates as may be specified in the notice.

The certified register —

Subject to such alterations as may subsequently be made in the register in accordance with section 13, 17 or 43, or with section 26 of the Presidential Elections Act 1991, the register continues in operation until superseded by the coming into operation of the next certified register.

Where a new electoral division is created under section 8 by the amalgamation of the whole of 2 or more existing electoral divisions, or where there is no change in the boundary of any electoral division specified in a notification under section 8(1), section 10 does not apply to that electoral division unless the Minister otherwise directs; and the certified registers of electors in operation for those existing electoral divisions which have been amalgamated to form any new electoral division are deemed to be the register of electors in operation for that new electoral division at the next general election.

Where any new electoral division is created or the boundaries of any existing electoral division are altered by —

Unless the Minister otherwise directs, whenever any new electoral division is created or any electoral division is altered in the manner mentioned in subsection (1)(a) or (b), section 10 does not apply to that new or altered electoral division and the Registration Officer must, before the next general election, prepare in accordance with subsection (3) a composite register for each new or altered division and certify it in Form 7 in the First Schedule.

A composite register for any new or altered electoral division must be prepared by using the certified registers in operation and combining the sections of those certified registers relating to the polling districts which have been redistributed or transferred to form the polling districts of the new or altered electoral division.

Any composite register prepared in accordance with subsection (3) for a new or altered electoral division —

Every person who wilfully makes a false statement or declaration in any claim or objection, or at any inquiry or in any appeal in connection with the claim or objection, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

The Registration Officer or a Revising Officer may, on the consideration or hearing of any claim, objection or appeal, require that the evidence tendered by any person be given on oath and may administer the oath for that purpose.

Every person who in the course of that consideration or hearing knowingly swears anything material to the validity of the claim, objection or appeal which is false shall be guilty of the offence of giving false evidence and shall be liable on conviction to the punishment provided therefor in the Penal Code 1871.

Any person who, in making any application under section 13A(1) to be registered as an overseas elector for an electoral division, or any application under section 13A(3A)(b) to change the overseas polling station allotted to him or her to another overseas polling station —

Any candidate or his or her election agent who, or any political party which, on payment of any fee, acquires from the Registration Officer any copy (whether in printed or electronic form) of any register of electors —

Subject to subsection (3), a person who obtains any information recorded in any register of electors must not reproduce, store or transmit any part of the information by electronic or any other means for any purpose.

Subsection (2) does not apply to —

Any person who knowingly contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 9 months or to both.

In this section, “candidate” includes a candidate at any presidential election.

Subject to subsection (2), each electoral division must return one Member to serve in Parliament.

Each group representation constituency must return the number of Members to serve in Parliament designated for that constituency by the President under section 8A(1)(a).

The Minister may, in addition to appointing the Returning Officer under section 3, appoint by name or by office one or more persons to assist the Returning Officer in the performance of the Returning Officer’s duties.

A person appointed to assist the Returning Officer has all the powers and may perform all the duties of the Returning Officer and any reference in this Act to the Returning Officer is deemed, unless the context otherwise requires, to include a reference to an Assistant Returning Officer.

An appointment made by the Minister under subsection (1) may be revoked by the Minister at any time.

If the Returning Officer is, by sickness or other cause, prevented or disabled from performing any of his or her duties under this Act and there is insufficient time for any other person to be appointed by the Minister, the Returning Officer may appoint, by name or office, a deputy to act for him or her.

Every appointment made under subsection (2) must as soon as possible be reported to the Minister and may be revoked by the Minister, but without affecting the validity of anything already done by the deputy.

For the purposes of every general election of Members of Parliament, and for the purposes of the election of Members to supply vacancies caused by death, resignation or otherwise, the President must issue writs under the public seal, addressed to the Returning Officer.

Every such writ must be in Form 1 in the First Schedule and must specify the date or dates (called in this Act the day of nomination) not being less than 5 days nor more than one month after the date of the writ and the place or places of nomination (called in this Act the place of nomination).

In respect of any group representation constituency, no writ may be issued under subsection (1) for an election to fill any vacancy unless all the Members for that constituency have vacated their seats in Parliament.

Upon receipt of the writ, the Returning Officer must proceed to hold the election in the manner provided in this Act.

Whenever an election in any electoral division wholly fails, a fresh writ may be issued by the President at any time for the holding of an election in that electoral division, except that where the election in an electoral division has failed because of the death of a candidate after the election has been reported as contested but before polling day, then section 34(8) and (9) or 34A(8) and (8A) (as the case may be) applies.

The original writ for an election in any electoral division that has wholly failed and everything done in connection with the election for the electoral division because of that writ have no effect.

Where a fresh writ is issued under subsection (1), sections 24 and 25 apply to that writ.

For the purposes of this Act, an election has wholly failed if —

Any person eligible for election as a Member of Parliament in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution may be nominated as a candidate for election.

A person may be nominated to be a candidate for election only by means of a nomination paper in Form 9 in the First Schedule, which must —

Every candidate must, at the time of his or her nomination, deliver to the Returning Officer a political donation certificate issued to the candidate by the Registrar of Political Donations under section 18(4) of the Political Donations Act 2000.

If the statutory declaration which is required by subsection (2)(d) to be made is not so made, or the political donation certificate which is required by subsection (3) to be delivered is not so delivered, the nomination of the candidate is deemed to be void.

The Returning Officer may, at any time between the date of the notice of the writ referred to in section 25 and 12 noon of the day of nomination, supply a form of nomination paper to any registered elector requiring it.

In every general election of Members and the election of Members to supply vacancies caused by death, resignation or otherwise, the Members for any group representation constituency must be elected in accordance with this Act subject to the modifications in this section.

All elections in any group representation constituency must be held on a basis of a group of such number of candidates as designated for that constituency by the President under section 8A(1)(a).

Subject to subsection (4), any group that desires to contest in any election in any group representation constituency must consist of the number of candidates designated for that constituency by the President under section 8A(1)(a), all of whom must either be —

Where any group representation constituency is —

At any time after the date of the notice of the writ referred to in section 25 and at least 2 clear days before the day of nomination, any person —

Upon receipt of any application under subsection (5), the appropriate Committee must —

Any such certificate is, for the purposes of this Act, conclusive as to the fact which it certifies.

In this section and section 27C —

“Committee” means the Malay Community Committee or Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee established under section 27C;

“person belonging to the Malay community” means any person, whether of the Malay race or otherwise, who considers himself or herself to be a member of the Malay community and who is generally accepted as a member of the Malay community by that community;

“person belonging to the Indian or other minority communities” means —

Any person eligible for election as a Member of Parliament in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution may, subject to section 27A, be nominated as a candidate with the other candidates in a group for any election in any group representation constituency.

A group of persons may be nominated to be a group of candidates for election in a group representation constituency only by means of a nomination paper in Form 9A in the First Schedule, which must —

Every candidate in a group must, at the time of the nomination of the group, deliver to the Returning Officer —

If any statutory declaration which is required by subsection (2)(d) to be made is not so made, or any certificate which is required by subsection (3) to be delivered by any candidate in a group is not so delivered, the nomination of that group is deemed to be void.

The Returning Officer may, at any time between the date of the notice of the writ referred to in section 25 and 12 noon of the day of nomination, supply a form of nomination paper to any registered elector requiring the same.

Where the nomination paper of any group does not comply with this section or section 27A, or where any candidate in a group withdraws or is deemed to have withdrawn his or her candidature under section 32, the nomination of that group is deemed to be void.

Section 27 does not apply to any election in any group representation constituency.

For the purposes of section 27A, there is established —

The Malay Community Committee is to consist of a chairperson and 4 other members, all of whom must be persons belonging to the Malay community and must be appointed by the President on the nomination of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights established under Article 69 of the Constitution after consulting such organisation of the Malay community as the Council thinks fit.

The Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee is to consist of a chairperson and 4 other members, who must be persons belonging to the Indian or other minority communities and must be appointed by the President on the nomination of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights established under Article 69 of the Constitution after consulting such organisations of the Indian and other minority communities as the Council thinks fit.