SINGAPORE - Local blog site The Online Citizen (TOC) will be gazetted as a political association.

This was confirmed by the Registry of Political Donations in a statement released to the media today.

The Registry of Political Donations stated that TOC's political coverage and analysis "has the potential to influence the opinions of their readership and shape political outcomes in Singapore". As such, the website has been gazetted to ensure that it is not funded by foreign elements or sources. Apart from this, the site is free to continue with its normal operations, and to receive financial support from Singaporeans and Singapore-controlled companies.

Under the Political Donations Act (PDA), political parties, political associations and candidates in parliamentary or presidential elections are prohibited from accepting donations from impermissible or foreign sources. The PDA also requires these entities to report large donations that they have received.