Singapore's presidential polls fixed for August 28

SINGAPORE will hold polls to choose a new president on August 28, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's office said Wednesday.

President Ong Teng Cheong, 63, Singapore's first elected president announced last month that he would not stand for a second six-year term.

So far no one has put his or her name forward, although reports say that six people have collected the forms which candidates need to fill in.

Goh also fixed Saturday as the deadline for applications to contest the presidency, a statement from the prime minister's office said.

Nomination papers should be submitted on August 18 and in the event of a contest, polls will be held on August 28, designated a public holiday.

The presidency, previously a ceremonial office, was revamped by parliament in 1991 to allow Singaporeans to directly elect their head of state, whose executive powers include safeguarding the use of Singapore's huge foreign exchange reserves of around 70 billion US dollars.

Most Singaporeans are hoping several candidates will contest the presidency, according to a poll by the Straits Times last month.

But they are divided on whether a candidate linked to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) would make a better president.

Ong, whose wife died of colon cancer last week, is himself recovering from cancer of the lymphatic system.