21.—(1) Section 48 of the Act (procedure on closing of poll) does not apply in relation to the conduct of polls in overseas polling stations.
(2) As soon as practicable after the close of the poll at an overseas polling station, every presiding officer for that overseas polling station must, in the presence of all the candidates and their polling agents who are present —
(a)
make up into separate packets —
(i)
the unused and spoilt ballot papers placed together;
(ii)
the list of overseas electors;
(iii)
the counterfoils of the ballot papers; and
(iv)
the tendered votes list; and
(b)
seal each packet with the presiding officer’s own seal and the seals of the candidates or their polling agents if they desire to affix their seals.
(3) Each ballot box within the overseas polling station must —
(a)
remain unopened;
(b)
be secured by the Assistant Returning Officer; and
(c)
be sealed with —
(i)
the seal supplied by the Returning Officer; and
(ii)
the seals of any of the candidates or their polling agents who are present and who wish to affix their seals,
in a manner that the box cannot be opened and nothing can be inserted into the box without breaking the seals.
(4) The Assistant Returning Officer in charge of an overseas polling station must without delay despatch every packet mentioned in paragraph (2) and every sealed ballot box in safe custody to the Returning Officer in Singapore by any means approved by the Returning Officer.
(5) Until their despatch to the Returning Officer in Singapore, the Assistant Returning Officer in charge of the overseas polling station —
(a)
is responsible for all the sealed packets mentioned in paragraph (2) and every sealed ballot box in his or her possession; and
(b)
must take every precaution for the safekeeping of those packets and ballot boxes and to prevent any person from having unlawful access to them.