SINGAPORE: Candidates in the 2025 General Election spent more than S$13.05 million (US$10.24 million) on their campaigns, a 42.4 per cent jump from the S$9.16 million declared in the 2020 polls.
Nearly half of this year's spending went to non-online advertising such as posters, banners and flyers, according to expense declarations on the Elections Department's (ELD) website on Friday (Jun 27). The disclosures were released after candidate submissions were published in the Government Gazette.
The People’s Action Party (PAP) was the biggest spender, with total declared expenses of S$9.4 million, outspending all rivals in every contested constituency. Among the opposition, the Workers’ Party (WP) led with S$1.64 million in declared expenses.
Candidates had until Jun 16 to submit detailed declarations of their election spending – a requirement under Singapore law to ensure financial transparency and accountability of candidates' election finances. The ELD confirmed that all 211 candidates met this deadline.
Candidates spent a combined S$6.24 million on non-online advertising, an 11.4 per cent increase from the S$5.6 million spent on print advertising in the previous election.
Spending on online advertisements, such as paid content on social media and websites, rose slightly to S$2.13 million, up from S$2 million in 2020.
This year's election also saw the return of physical rallies, which were paused in the previous election due to pandemic restrictions. Candidates spent S$1.72 million to organise a total of 48 rallies across the campaign period.
Political analysts said the return to in-person campaigning reflects the enduring importance of face-to-face engagement in Singapore's elections.
“Singapore’s electoral norms still emphasise in-person events and face-to-face contact,” said Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian, who teaches political science at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The 2020 election was seen as a “one-off” with no rallies, and it was not surprising that rallies and physical ads continue to form a significant proportion of election spending, he added.
Independent analyst Felix Tan said parties may have favoured physical ads because they reach a wider group of people, such as seniors who could be less active online.
PAP, which contested all 97 seats in 18 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and 15 Single Member Constituencies (SMCs), spent S$9.4 million – with 42.8 per cent, or S$4.03 million, going to non-online advertisements.
The ruling party also spent S$2.04 million on online advertisements and S$1.05 million on rallies.
WP, which fielded 26 candidates in eight constituencies, spent S$1.64 million – nearly 70 per cent, or S$1.14 million, was dedicated to non-online advertisements. It spent about S$233,000 on rallies, but only S$540 on online advertising, all by Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam.
The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) was the next highest spender with S$583,440 by 11 candidates. Just over half of this went to non-online advertising, 39 per cent or S$228,520 on rallies and 3 per cent or S$20,000 on online platforms.
This was followed by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), whose 13 candidates spent S$441,548. Slightly more than half of this, or S$248,736, was on non-online advertisements. Its next biggest expense was rallies, which it spent S$98,739 on, followed by S$52,538 on online advertisements.
PSP was the only party that reported a decline in spending compared with GE2020. Its overall expenses fell by almost 43.5 per cent, down from S$781,275.
Assoc Prof Chong said one reason is that the party fielded fewer candidates this time. However, he added that this could reflect deeper challenges such as limited public financial support.
“That is difficult to ascertain for sure without a requirement for public transparency regarding political party financials,” he said.
PSP secretary-general Leong Mun Wai previously said that funding was less of a concern compared to issues such as manpower and communication strategy. The party also emphasised the importance of focusing its efforts on fewer constituencies.
Assoc Prof Chong also observed that the party's ground presence appeared relatively limited, which could also explain the reduced expenditure.
The National Solidarity Party, which contested 10 seats, was the fifth-biggest spender with S$281,888.
Other parties and their respective expenditures included Red Dot United with S$204,145 for 15 candidates, the Singapore Democratic Alliance with S$193,524 for four candidates, the Singapore People's Party with S$107,196 for five candidates, the People's Power Party with S$80,218 for 10 candidates, the People's Alliance for Reform with S$59,527 for 13 candidates and the Singapore United Party with S$32,789 for five candidates.
Among independent candidates, Mr Jeremy Tan, who contested Mountbatten SMC, spent S$16,075. Mr Darryl Lo, who contested Radin Mas SMC, spent S$12,213.
Candidates also reported costs related to office rental, equipment, supplies and transport.
The biggest spending teams in GE2025 were all from the PAP, with their East Coast, West Coast-Jurong West and Punggol GRC slates coming in the top three.
In East Coast GRC, PAP spent S$602,866, more than twice the WP's S$250,560. Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How was the constituency's top spender (S$150,062).
Analyst Felix Tan said the heavy spending in East Coast GRC may reflect expectations of a closely contested race.
“In addition, given that the Joo Chiat district was probably going to be the bellwether to a possible swing in the votes in East Coast, there might be a demand to increase the spending in this constituency,” he said.
Assoc Prof Chong said the PAP team presumably felt it was “worth their while” to put in as much money as they did.
“They obviously also have the resources to support the level of expenditure they decided on, which on some level is unsurprising since the PAP is the largest and probably most well-resourced political party in Singapore,” he said.
Coming in a close second was PAP’s West Coast-Jurong West GRC team, which spent S$602,708, while their opponents from the PSP reported spending S$180,560.
PAP's Punggol team spent S$541,854, while the WP’s opposing slate logged S$265,695.
Notably, while the PAP teams in East Coast and West Coast-Jurong West focused primarily on non-online advertising, its Punggol team allocated more than half its spending to online platforms.
Among SMC candidates, the top spenders were PAP’s Alex Yeo (Potong Pasir), Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang) and Low Yen Ling (Bukit Gombak), with most of their budgets going to non-online ads.
The highest individual spender in GE2025 was NSP president Reno Fong, who declared S$160,000 in campaign costs. His four teammates in Tampines GRC reported zero expenses.
In total, 24 candidates across various parties declared no campaign expenses.
The ELD released election expenses for public inspection in three tranches: 35 candidates on May 29, followed by 129 candidates on Jun 13 and the final 47 candidates on Friday.
The expense records are available for inspection on the ELD’s website for six months from the publishing of the gazette notice.
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Nearly half of this year's spending went to non-online advertising such as posters, banners and flyers, according to expense declarations on the Elections Department's (ELD) website on Friday (Jun 27). The disclosures were released after candidate submissions were published in the Government Gazette.
The People’s Action Party (PAP) was the biggest spender, with total declared expenses of S$9.4 million, outspending all rivals in every contested constituency. Among the opposition, the Workers’ Party (WP) led with S$1.64 million in declared expenses.
Candidates had until Jun 16 to submit detailed declarations of their election spending – a requirement under Singapore law to ensure financial transparency and accountability of candidates' election finances. The ELD confirmed that all 211 candidates met this deadline.
WHERE THE MONEY WENT
Candidates spent a combined S$6.24 million on non-online advertising, an 11.4 per cent increase from the S$5.6 million spent on print advertising in the previous election.
Spending on online advertisements, such as paid content on social media and websites, rose slightly to S$2.13 million, up from S$2 million in 2020.
This year's election also saw the return of physical rallies, which were paused in the previous election due to pandemic restrictions. Candidates spent S$1.72 million to organise a total of 48 rallies across the campaign period.
Political analysts said the return to in-person campaigning reflects the enduring importance of face-to-face engagement in Singapore's elections.
“Singapore’s electoral norms still emphasise in-person events and face-to-face contact,” said Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian, who teaches political science at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The 2020 election was seen as a “one-off” with no rallies, and it was not surprising that rallies and physical ads continue to form a significant proportion of election spending, he added.
Independent analyst Felix Tan said parties may have favoured physical ads because they reach a wider group of people, such as seniors who could be less active online.
Related:
HOW MUCH DID PARTIES SPEND?
PAP, which contested all 97 seats in 18 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and 15 Single Member Constituencies (SMCs), spent S$9.4 million – with 42.8 per cent, or S$4.03 million, going to non-online advertisements.
The ruling party also spent S$2.04 million on online advertisements and S$1.05 million on rallies.
WP, which fielded 26 candidates in eight constituencies, spent S$1.64 million – nearly 70 per cent, or S$1.14 million, was dedicated to non-online advertisements. It spent about S$233,000 on rallies, but only S$540 on online advertising, all by Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam.
The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) was the next highest spender with S$583,440 by 11 candidates. Just over half of this went to non-online advertising, 39 per cent or S$228,520 on rallies and 3 per cent or S$20,000 on online platforms.
This was followed by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), whose 13 candidates spent S$441,548. Slightly more than half of this, or S$248,736, was on non-online advertisements. Its next biggest expense was rallies, which it spent S$98,739 on, followed by S$52,538 on online advertisements.
PSP was the only party that reported a decline in spending compared with GE2020. Its overall expenses fell by almost 43.5 per cent, down from S$781,275.
Assoc Prof Chong said one reason is that the party fielded fewer candidates this time. However, he added that this could reflect deeper challenges such as limited public financial support.
“That is difficult to ascertain for sure without a requirement for public transparency regarding political party financials,” he said.
PSP secretary-general Leong Mun Wai previously said that funding was less of a concern compared to issues such as manpower and communication strategy. The party also emphasised the importance of focusing its efforts on fewer constituencies.
Assoc Prof Chong also observed that the party's ground presence appeared relatively limited, which could also explain the reduced expenditure.
The National Solidarity Party, which contested 10 seats, was the fifth-biggest spender with S$281,888.
Other parties and their respective expenditures included Red Dot United with S$204,145 for 15 candidates, the Singapore Democratic Alliance with S$193,524 for four candidates, the Singapore People's Party with S$107,196 for five candidates, the People's Power Party with S$80,218 for 10 candidates, the People's Alliance for Reform with S$59,527 for 13 candidates and the Singapore United Party with S$32,789 for five candidates.
Among independent candidates, Mr Jeremy Tan, who contested Mountbatten SMC, spent S$16,075. Mr Darryl Lo, who contested Radin Mas SMC, spent S$12,213.
Candidates also reported costs related to office rental, equipment, supplies and transport.
Related:
TOP SPENDERS BY CONSTITUENCY
The biggest spending teams in GE2025 were all from the PAP, with their East Coast, West Coast-Jurong West and Punggol GRC slates coming in the top three.
In East Coast GRC, PAP spent S$602,866, more than twice the WP's S$250,560. Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How was the constituency's top spender (S$150,062).
Analyst Felix Tan said the heavy spending in East Coast GRC may reflect expectations of a closely contested race.
“In addition, given that the Joo Chiat district was probably going to be the bellwether to a possible swing in the votes in East Coast, there might be a demand to increase the spending in this constituency,” he said.
Assoc Prof Chong said the PAP team presumably felt it was “worth their while” to put in as much money as they did.
“They obviously also have the resources to support the level of expenditure they decided on, which on some level is unsurprising since the PAP is the largest and probably most well-resourced political party in Singapore,” he said.
Coming in a close second was PAP’s West Coast-Jurong West GRC team, which spent S$602,708, while their opponents from the PSP reported spending S$180,560.
PAP's Punggol team spent S$541,854, while the WP’s opposing slate logged S$265,695.
Notably, while the PAP teams in East Coast and West Coast-Jurong West focused primarily on non-online advertising, its Punggol team allocated more than half its spending to online platforms.
Among SMC candidates, the top spenders were PAP’s Alex Yeo (Potong Pasir), Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang) and Low Yen Ling (Bukit Gombak), with most of their budgets going to non-online ads.
The highest individual spender in GE2025 was NSP president Reno Fong, who declared S$160,000 in campaign costs. His four teammates in Tampines GRC reported zero expenses.
In total, 24 candidates across various parties declared no campaign expenses.
The ELD released election expenses for public inspection in three tranches: 35 candidates on May 29, followed by 129 candidates on Jun 13 and the final 47 candidates on Friday.
The expense records are available for inspection on the ELD’s website for six months from the publishing of the gazette notice.
Continue reading...