Police Advisory On Election Meetings, Assembly Centres, Perambulating Vehicles, Speakers’ Corner, And Aerial And Unmanned Aircraft Activities, For General Election 2025

Nomination Day for the General Election 2025 is on 23 April 2025. This press release sets out the following:

1. Procedures for candidates and their election agents to apply for Police permits to hold election meetings, and to use assembly centres and perambulating vehicles; 
2. Temporary revocation of exemptions at Speakers’ Corner;
3. Establishment of Temporary Restricted Areas (“TRA”) for aerial and unmanned aircraft activities at election meeting sites; and 
4. Briefing to prospective candidates and their election agents, at the Police Elections Permit Office (“PEPO”), on 22 April 2025.

Election Meetings

Candidates who wish to hold election meetings must apply for a Police permit and can only hold the election meetings at designated sites due to safety and security considerations. For election meeting sites with multiple applications for a given timeslot, the permits will be issued only after the sites are allocated via ballot. The list of designated election meeting sites for the contested electoral divisions will be released after the nomination proceedings end.

The Police will not levy any fee for the application of permits for election meetings. However, site owners will levy fees the for the use of the sites. To facilitate this, staff from the following agencies will be present at the PEPO: Ministry of Education (“MOE”), National Parks Board (“NParks”), Singapore Land Authority (“SLA”), Sport Singapore (“SportSG”), Urban Redevelopment Authority (“URA”), and Jurong Town Corporation (“JTC”). The rental fees that will be levied by the site owners are listed in Annex A.

The earliest day an election meeting can be held is one day after Nomination Day. Applications for election meetings to be held on 24 April 2025 must be submitted by 4pm on 23 April 2025, i.e. Nomination Day. Applications for election meetings to be held on other campaigning days must be submitted no later than 2.30pm of the day before the intended election meeting. For example, if the election meeting is planned for Thursday, the candidate or his election agent must apply for a permit latest by 2.30pm on Wednesday that same week. Block balloting and other rules will apply to all election meeting sites. More details will be shared in the briefing to prospective candidates and their election agents on 22 April 2025, and also in a Police advisory which will be released on Nomination Day.

Assembly Centres

Candidates, their supporters, and members of the public may gather at approved assembly centres to await the announcement of the election results. The earliest day candidates can apply for use of assembly centres is on Nomination Day. Applications for assembly centres must be submitted by 2.30pm on 2 May 2025 (i.e. Cooling-off Day). No fees will be levied by the Police for the permit. 

Candidates and their election agents can only apply for one assembly centre site in each regional cluster of GRCs/SMCs in which they are contesting. The Police will conduct a ballot for assembly centre sites with more than one applicant. The list of approved assembly centres allocated to contesting parties and candidates will be announced on Cooling-off Day, after the close of permit applications. 

Perambulating Vehicles

Candidates must apply for a perambulating vehicle permit from the Police before they can broadcast pre-recorded election messages from a vehicle (whether mechanically propelled or otherwise) during the campaigning period. 

The earliest day perambulating vehicle processions can be held is one day after Nomination Day. Applications for perambulating vehicle processions to be held on this day (one day after Nomination Day) must be submitted by 4pm on 23 April 2025, i.e. Nomination Day. Applications for perambulating vehicle processions to be held on other campaigning days must be submitted no later than 2.30pm of the day before the intended use. For example, if the perambulating vehicle is planned for use on Thursday, the candidate or his election agent must apply for a permit latest by 2.30pm on Wednesday that same week. Applicants may use perambulating vehicle(s) for the period from one day after Nomination Day, until the eve of Cooling-off Day.

Application for Police Permits for Election Meetings, Assembly Centres and Perambulating Vehicles 

Candidates and their election agents are encouraged to make their applications for permits for election meetings, assembly centres and perambulating vehicles online at www.police.gov.sg/e-services under “Licences and Permits”, which will be made available after the end of nomination proceedings. Applications can also be made in-person by candidates or their election agents at the PEPO, located at Police Cantonment Complex, 391 New Bridge Road, Singapore 088762, during the PEPO’s operating hours.

The PEPO will operate from Nomination Day to Cooling-off Day. On Nomination Day, it will operate from 2pm to 6pm. Thereafter until and inclusive of Cooling-off Day, it will operate from 8.30am to 6pm daily. Candidates or their election agents may call the PEPO at 1800-220-3370 during its operating hours or email SPF_PEPO_Enquiry@spf.gov.sg for permit-related enquiries.

Upon receipt of a permit application, whether online or in-person, the PEPO may contact the permit applicant to seek clarifications on the application before making its decision. 

Briefing to Prospective Candidates and Election Agents

The PEPO will conduct a briefing on the permit application procedures on 22 April 2025 at 6.30pm at the Police Cantonment Complex. Prospective candidates or their election agents, or both, are invited to attend this briefing.

Temporary Revocation of Exemptions at Speakers’ Corner

From Nomination Day on 23 April 2025, the exemptions for public assemblies and public processions within the Speakers’ Corner will be temporarily revoked. The Public Order (Unrestricted Area – Speakers’ Corner) Order 2023 and the Public Entertainments (Speakers’ Corner – Exemption) Order 2023 will be amended accordingly. The exemptions will be reinstated after the election period.

The temporary revocation ensures that the permit regime for election meetings and election processions during General Election 2025, under the Public Order (Election Meetings and Processions in Parliamentary Elections) Regulations 2009, also apply to the Speakers’ Corner.

During the period when the exemptions are temporarily revoked, no public assembly or public procession can be held at the Speakers’ Corner without a Police permit under the Public Order Act 2009. A public entertainment licence under the Public Entertainments Act 1958 will also be required, if there is to be provision of public entertainment at the location during this period.

Restrictions on Aerial and Unmanned Aircraft Activities for the General Election

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (“CAAS”) will establish a Temporary Restricted Area (“TRA”) over the locations used for outdoor election meetings, one hour before the commencement of the election meetings to one hour after the end of the election meetings.

The flying of unmanned aircraft (“UA”) and conduct of other aerial activities (such as kite-flying and hoisting of captive balloons) within and into the TRA is prohibited. The unauthorised conduct of UA and aerial activities within and into the TRA is an offence under the Air Navigation (101 – Unmanned Aircraft Operations) Regulations 2019 (“ANR-101”) and Air Navigation Order (“ANO”). The penalty upon conviction for the offence under the ANR-101 is a fine of up to $50,000 or imprisonment of up to two years, or both, for the first offence, and a fine of up to $100,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both, for the second or subsequent offence. The penalty upon conviction for the offence under the ANO is a fine of up to $20,000 for the first offence, and a fine of up to $40,000 or imprisonment of up to 15 months, or both, for the second or subsequent offence. 

Advisory On Responsible Campaigning 

Candidates, their elections agents and their authorised representatives should conduct election campaigning in a responsible and dignified manner that befits the seriousness of the election process. This should include steering away from negative campaigning practices, such as:  

1. Hate and denigration of opposing candidates,
2. False statements / unfounded allegations of corruption or commission of criminal offences, or
3. Statements that may cause racial or religious tensions or affect social cohesion.

In addition, candidates, their elections agents, and their authorised representatives have a responsibility to encourage their supporters to refrain from negative campaigning and to comply with the law. If their supporters become overzealous, candidates, their elections agents, and their authorised representatives should proactively and quickly calm their supporters down to prevent the situation from degenerating into public disorder.

Candidates and elections agents should be vigilant during nomination proceedings, walk-abouts, and house visits, when Party members/volunteers/supporters may interact with those from other Parties. Such interactions should be carried out in a manner befitting the election.

During the election period, candidates and their elections agents should also remind their supporter(s) to refrain from conducting any act(s) which may amount to electoral breaches, or are disruptive and disorderly, such as:

1. Act(s) which jeopardise the safety of any person,
2. Act(s) which impede access or prevents the ordinary use of, any public road, bridge or other public place,
3. Act(s) which cause public disorder,
4. Act(s) causing damage to public or private property,
5. Act(s) causing serious disruptions to residents in the vicinity,
6. Act(s) involving the display or exhibition of any placard, banner, flag, poster, photograph, film, sign, writing or other visible representation, that contains any violent, lewd or obscene material, and
7. Act(s) involving the exhortation of any chants, songs or gestures that are violent, lewd or obscene.

Information On Other Election-Related Matters 

More information on election-related matters can be found at https://www.police.gov.sg/elections.

Annex A

General Election 2025

Outdoor Election Meeting Sites and Corresponding Rental Rates

Floodlights are allowed to be used at the sites for night time slots.