First tranche of GE2025 candidate expenses published; biggest spender tops $100,000

A total of 35 candidates who contested the May 3 General Election have declared their election expenses so far, with their combined spending coming up to $884,978.

- Tham Yuen-C

On May 28, their election returns were made available on the Elections Department's (ELD) website.

Election candidates here are required under the law to declare how much they spent and what the money was used for, to ensure accountability and transparency of campaign finances. Candidates from the 2025 General Election have until June 16 to do so.

Among those who have submitted their election expenses, average spending worked out to be $25,285 per candidate. But individual candidates' expenses ranged widely—some did not spend a single cent, while one spent more than $100,000.

The 35 candidates who have submitted their returns include those from the PAP, PSP, National Solidarity Party (NSP), People's Alliance for Reform (PAR), Red Dot United (RDU), and Singapore People's Party (SPP).

Candidates—one from each party—from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), People's Power Party (PPP), and Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) have submitted their election expenses, as have the two independent candidates—SMU law graduate Darryl Lo and retired businessman Jeremy Tan.

So far, no WP candidate has submitted his or her returns.

This means there are 176 candidates who either have not submitted their election expenses, or whose submissions have not yet been announced on the Government Gazette.