Political broadcasts on April 25, May 1; ELD issues campaigning guidelines

Parties fielding at least 6 candidates under recognised symbol eligible for broadcasts

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan

Two party political broadcasts (PPBs) for the upcoming general election will be aired on April 25 and May 1, the Elections Department (ELD) said.

Only political parties that field at least six candidates under a recognised party symbol are eligible for the PPBs, ELD said in a release on April 21 detailing campaign guidelines for the period starting on Nomination Day on April 23 to the end of polling on May 3.

Independents and political parties fielding fewer than six candidates are not eligible for the PPBs.

The broadcasts will give political parties free broadcast airtime to deliver their campaign messages during the campaign period on six free-to-air TV channels and 13 radio stations. Political parties can choose to deliver their campaign messages in English, Mandarin, Malay and/or Tamil.

The PPBs must comply with all applicable codes of practice for TV and radio, including "ensuring that the content of the (broadcasts) presents references to race and religion accurately and in a dignified manner", ELD said.

The content of the political broadcasts should also not "be slanted by exclusion of facts or by misleading emphasis, and should not be defamatory or criminal in nature", ELD added.

In addition to the dates of the two PPBs, the ELD released more campaigning guidelines that will apply from Nomination Day to the close of Polling Day:

WALKABOUTS AND HOUSE VISITS

Candidates can conduct walkabouts and house visits without a permit from the police if: