SINGAPORE, April 26 (Reuters) - Singapore has ordered

Facebook parent Meta to block Singaporeans' access to

posts made by three foreigners accused of trying to influence a

national election next month on racial and religious lines.

The orders were issued after some posts deemed "intended to

promote or prejudice the electoral success or standing of a

political party or candidate", the Elections Department and home

affairs ministry said on Friday.

Meta did not respond to a request for comment. Two of the

three people whose posts were blocked rejected the

accusations.

The May 3 election, the first under new social media rules

introduced in 2023, looks , which has won most seats in every

vote since independence in 1965.

The rules bar foreigners from publishing online election

advertising, which it defines as online materials that could

help or hurt any political parties or candidates.

Authorities identified the foreigners behind the posts as

Iskandar Abdul Samad, treasurer of the Islamist party Parti

Islam Se-Malaysia; Mohamed Sukri Omar, its party's youth chief

in the Malaysian state of Selangor; and Facebook and Zulfikar

bin Mohamad Shariff, an Australian who renounced his Singapore

citizenship in 2020.

The PAP-led government said their posts interfered with domestic

politics and influenced citizens to vote on racial and religious

lines.

Authorities found that Zulfikar had accused Malay-Muslim

lawmakers of failing to represent Muslim interests. Sukri had

reposted Zulfikar's post and Iskandar had expressed support on

social media for the Workers' Party's vice chair.

Iskandar did not respond to a request for comment.

In a Facebook post on Saturday about the order, Sukri said

he never sought to interfere in the election and his concerns

were for the plight of Malay-Muslims in Singapore "a community

increasingly marginalised in various aspects, whether in

education, economy, or cultural freedom."

Parti Islam Se-Malaysia secretary general Takiyuddin Hassan

said the views of the two party leaders did not reflect its

official policy or stance.

While the party respected Singapore's concerns, the

government's response to their remarks was "somewhat exaggerated

and unilateral," he added.

Zulfikar on Facebook said that the order showed the PAP and

its supporters were scared and that "desperation reeks".

The Workers' Party said in a statement on Saturday that it

has no control over foreign parties who express support for its

candidates. The PAP did not respond to a request for comment on

Zulfikar's remarks.