THE two candidates who contested the May 7 Bukit Batok by-election spent about $169,290 altogether on election expenses, with Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan spending more than the winning candidate Murali Pillai from the People’s Action Party.
Dr Chee spent about $3.39 per voter while Mr Murali spent about $3.19 per voter.
In all, Dr Chee spent $87,200.42, of which the bulk – at least $38,279.93 – went to printing and distributing campaign materials such as posters and newsletters.
The Straits Times, AsiaOne, MediaCorp, Parliament of Singapore
Another of his big ticket items was the cost of holding four rallies. It came up to at least $35,226.60.
Mr Murali’s bills totalled $82,091.
Like Dr Chee, his rally logistics cost the most, totalling $28,590, while his expenses on campaign materials added up to $27,331.42.
AsiaOne, YouTube screengrabs
Both candidates’ bills were within the $102,908 legal limit, or $4 for each of the 25,747 registered Bukit Batok voters.
The law requires candidates to submit their election expenses to the Elections Department after the polls.
Besides election expenses, the candidates also had to declare the donations they received.
The Straits Times, Berita Harian, Shin Min Daily News
Mr Pillai said he received $82,091 from the PAP headquarters, a sum that covered all his election expenses.
Dr Chee said he did not receive any donations.
Get MyPaper for more stories.
