Preparing for the next Presidential Election

I think the next Presidential Election should be around the corner, due in  mid 2017. Everything is pretty quiet at the moment. Tony Tan is likely to be fielded again as he seems to be the perfect fit for the Presidency and for the ruling govt. There is so much chemistry between the President and the Prime Minister that everything is just working fine with this couple. It is unlikely that another candidate will be thrown in to replace Tony Tan unless due to some unforeseeable circumstances.

Who would come into the fray this time from outside the establishment? Of the last three presidential candidates, Tan Kin Lian is unlikely to stand this time given his poor showing in the last PE. Tan Jee Say could still make a try as he did not do too badly then. But he would have to resign from his Singaporean First Party first to be eligible. Would he want to given the bad publicity in the aftermath of the last GE?

Tan Cheng Bock looks more like a certainty this time. He is still looking very good in his own way and in a two candidate fight his chances of getting elected is as good as anyone else. For those who want a non PAP candidate, Cheng Bock would be a very good choice and he would really be a challenger to Tony Tan.

Now, would there be any surprises waiting lurking behind the corners? Would there be any new potential candidates to enter the fray to provide more than a 3 corner fight and split the votes again? Given the stringent criteria, not many people are qualified to be a candidate and those who are qualified are people that would think very carefully if they intend to stand as they are likely to be public figures and closely linked to the establishment.

So far no newcomer has indicated their intention to run. It would be nice to see a 2 horse race for the PE. But knowing the possibilities, you can bet there will be some dark horses out there wanting to put in their 4 million dollar bets. And multiplying this by 6 years that is a cool $24m stakes, not counting bonuses that would easily double or triple that sum, awaiting the successful candidate. How about that, between $50m to $75m for the winner to guard the reserves of the nation?