Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Act 1999

REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

GOVERNMENT GAZETTE

ACTS SUPPLEMENT

Published by Authority

NO. 18]

Friday, May 14

[1999

The following Act was passed by Parliament on 15th April 1999 and assented to by the President on 30th April 1999:—

Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Act 1999

(No. 18 of 1999)

I assent.

ONG TENG CHEONG,

President.

30th April 1999.

Date of Commencement: 14th May 1999

An Act to amend the Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 218 of the 1995 Revised Edition) and to make consequential and related amendments to the Presidential Elections Act (Chapter 240A of the 1992 Revised Edition).

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Act 1999 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Amendment of section 2

2. Section 2 of the Parliamentary Elections Act (referred to in this Act as the principal Act) is amended by inserting, immediately after the definition of "polling district", the following definition:

“ “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;”.

Amendment of section 13

3. Section 13 (4) of the principal Act is amended by deleting paragraph (a).

Amendment of section 40

4. Section 40 of the principal Act is amended by inserting, immediately after subsection (3), the following subsection:

“(4) The official mark for the authentication of ballot papers shall comprise a pattern, design, watermark or logo approved by the Returning Officer which shall be affixed, stamped, overprinted or marked (by writing or otherwise), or any combination thereof, on the ballot paper in a particular manner approved by the Returning Officer.”.

Amendment of section 42

5. Section 42 (2) of the principal Act is amended by deleting the words "be stamped on the back or perforated with the official mark" in the 4th and 5th lines and substituting the words ", unless it already bears the complete official mark for the authentication of ballot papers, be affixed, stamped or marked (by writing or otherwise) by the presiding officer in the approved manner with that official mark or the remaining part thereof".

Amendment of section 49

6. Section 49 of the principal Act is amended by deleting subsections (1) and (2) and substituting the following subsections:

“(1) Subject to subsection (2), counting agents for any candidate nominated for an electoral division other than a group representation constituency may be appointed either by the candidate or his election agent only, and counting agents for any group of candidates nominated for a group representation constituency may be appointed either by the election agent of any candidate in the group or the principal election agent for that group only.

(2) Not more than one counting agent may be appointed for a candidate or group of candidates to attend the counting of votes at each counting place specified in the direction made under section 48A(1).”.

Amendment of section 50

7. Section 50 (1) of the principal Act is amended by deleting paragraph (a) and substituting the following paragraph:

“(a) which does not bear the complete official mark for the authentication of ballot papers or is not initialled by the presiding officer;”.

Amendment of section 64

8. Section 64 (1A) of the principal Act is amended by deleting the words "only the principal election agent of the group" in the 2nd line and substituting the words "either the principal election agent for the group or the election agent of any candidate in that group".

Consequential and related amendments to Presidential Elections Act

9.—(1) Section 2 of the Presidential Elections Act (Cap. 240A) is amended by inserting, immediately after the definition of "Presidential Elections Committee", the following definition:

“ “principal election agent” means an election agent of a candidate who has been appointed under section 43(2A) as the principal election agent;”.

(2) Section 23 of the Presidential Elections Act is amended by inserting, immediately after subsection (2), the following subsection:

“(3) The official mark for the authentication of ballot papers shall comprise a pattern, design, watermark or logo approved by the Returning Officer which shall be affixed, stamped, overprinted or marked (by writing or otherwise), or any combination thereof, on the ballot paper in a particular manner approved by the Returning Officer.”.

(3) Section 25(3) of the Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting the words "be stamped on the back or perforated with the official mark" in the 2nd and 3rd lines and substituting the words ", unless it already bears the complete official mark for the authentication of ballot papers, be affixed, stamped or marked (by writing or otherwise) by the presiding officer in the approved manner with that official mark or the remaining part thereof".

(4) Section 31A(2) of the Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting the words "election agent" and substituting the words "principal election agent".

(5) Section 32 of the Presidential Elections Act is amended —

(a)	by inserting, immediately after the words "Each candidate" in subsections (1) and (2), the words "or any of his election agents"; and
(b)	by deleting the words "election agents" in subsection (8B)(b) and substituting the words "principal election agents".

(6) Section 33(1) of the Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting paragraph (a) and substituting the following paragraph:

“(a)	any ballot paper which does not bear the complete official mark for the authentication of ballot papers or is not initialled by the presiding officer;”.

(7) Section 43 of the Presidential Elections Act is amended —

(a)

by deleting the words "a person" in subsection (1) and substituting the words " not more than 20 persons";

(b)

by deleting the words "election agent" in subsection (1) and in the marginal note and substituting in each case the words "election agents";

(c)

by inserting, immediately after subsection (2), the following subsection:

“(2A) On or before nomination day at an election, not more than one principal election agent for that election shall be appointed by the candidate from among his election agents for that election.”;

(d)

by deleting the words "the name and address of the election agent" in the 1st and 2nd lines of subsection (3) and substituting the words "the names and addresses of the principal election agent and every election agent";

(e)

by deleting the words "the name and address of" in the 6th and 7th lines of subsection (3) and substituting the words "the names and addresses of the principal election agent and"; and

(f)

by deleting subsection (4) and substituting the following subsections:

“(4) The appointment of a principal election agent or election agent, whether the person so appointed be any of the candidates or not, may be revoked.

(5) In the event of such revocation or of the death of a principal election agent or election agent, as the case may be, whether the event is before, during or after the election, another principal election agent shall or another election agent may then forthwith be appointed.

(6) The name and address of the other principal election agent or election agent appointed under subsection (5) shall be declared in writing to the Returning Officer, who shall forthwith give public notice of the name and address in accordance with subsection (3).”.

(8) Section 45 of the Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting subsection (1) and substituting the following subsections:

“(1) Every polling agent, clerk and messenger employed for payment on behalf of a candidate at an election shall be appointed by his principal election agent or any of his election agents.

(1A) Every committee-room hired on behalf of a candidate shall be hired by his principal election agent or any of his election agents.

(1B) The principal election agent or election agent, as the case may be, shall inform the presiding officer at each polling station in writing of the name of the polling agent or agents he has appointed under subsection (1) to act at that polling station before the person is admitted to the polling station.”.

(9) Section 54(1) of the Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting paragraph (a) and substituting the following paragraph:

“(a)	not more than 20 election agents;”.

(10) Section 56(1) of the Presidential Elections Act is amended —

(a)	by deleting the words "the election agent" in the 1st line of paragraph (a) and in the 2nd and 3rd lines of paragraph (e) and substituting in each case the words "every election agent of the candidate"; and
(b)	by deleting the words "the election agent is aware" in paragraphs (c) and (d) and substituting in each case the words "any of the election agents of the candidate are aware".

(11) Section 70(1) of the Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting the words "of any clerk" in the 7th line of paragraph (a) and in the 9th and 10th lines of paragraph (b) and substituting in each case the words "of any election agent or any clerk".

(12) The Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting the words "his election agent" in the following provisions and substituting in each case the words "any of his election agents":

Sections 45 (2), 46 (1) (12th and 13th lines), 47 (2) (1st and 2nd lines), (8) (3rd line), (9) (3rd and 4th lines) and (10), 50 (1) (3rd and 4th lines), 53 (1) (last line), 64 (2) (1st line), 68 (a) (2nd, 3rd and 6th lines), 77 (2) (6th and 7th lines) and (3) (b) (6th line).

(13) The Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting the words "the election agent" in the following provisions and substituting in each case the words "any election agent":

Sections 46 (1) (8th line), 47 (7), (8) (last line) and (9) (last line), 49 (4) (1st and 2nd lines), 50 (1) (proviso) and 65 (2).

(14) The Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting the words "election agent" in the following provisions and substituting in each case the words "principal election agent":

Sections 49 (1) (last line), (2) and (5) (2nd line), 56 (1) (2nd line), (2) (2nd and 3rd lines) and (3), 64 (2) (5th line), 70 (1) (a) (7th line), (1) (b) (1st and 8th lines), (2) (4th line) and (3) (10th and last line).

(15) The Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting the words "election agent" in the following provisions and substituting in each case the words "election agents":

Sections 68 (b) and 69 (a) (2nd line).

(16) Section 69 of the Presidential Elections Act is amended by deleting the words "within the electoral division" in the 21st line.

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