2-9-2023 (SINGAPORE) Singaporeans have resoundingly chosen Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam to be the nation’s ninth president. With an impressive 70.4 percent of the vote, the 66-year-old former senior minister secured a decisive victory, while his rivals, Mr. Ng Kok Song and Mr. Tan Kin Lian, received 15.72 percent and 13.88 percent, respectively.
Even before the official announcement by Returning Officer Tan Meng Dui at 12:22 am, the winner was evident, as the sample count released around 10:40 pm showed Mr. Tharman leading with 70 percent, while Mr. Ng and Mr. Tan trailed with 16 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
Addressing the media at Taman Jurong Food Centre shortly after the sample count, Mr. Tharman expressed his gratitude for the strong endorsement he had received from Singaporean voters. He acknowledged that the vote represented not just support for him personally, but also confidence in Singapore’s future.
Mr. Tharman thanked his fellow candidates for their dedication to the presidential election, making it a worthwhile competition. He spoke about his vision for Singapore, emphasizing deeper mutual respect and a future where every generation has confidence in the nation’s reserves for the benefit of future generations.
Earlier, as Mr. Tharman arrived at Jurong, where he had served as an MP for 22 years, jubilant supporters greeted him with pineapples, a reference to his campaign symbol symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. The supporters cheered loudly upon learning of the sample count result.
Mr. Ng conceded the contest shortly after the sample count was made known. He praised Mr. Tharman’s team for a vigorous campaign and congratulated him on a magnificent victory.
Mr. Tan also extended his congratulations to Mr. Tharman but expressed some surprise at the election’s outcome. He acknowledged the uncertainty of elections and pledged to spend more time with his family and continue advocating for the people through other channels.
Many Singaporeans opted to vote early, resulting in long queues at polling stations as early as 8 am. The Elections Department issued an advisory at 8:40 am to encourage afternoon voting, which helped ease the queues by lunchtime.
Despite the queues, more than half of the votes were cast by noon, and approximately 85 percent of voters had voted by 5 pm. Overseas voters also turned up at 10 overseas polling stations to cast their ballots, including those living in Hong Kong, where a typhoon threat did not deter their participation.
This election featured several firsts, including the use of a new X-stamp to mark ballots and the trial of mobile polling stations at nursing homes, facilitating the voting process for over 4,000 elderly voters.
Postal voting was introduced for the first time, with over 3,400 overseas voters registering for it. All overseas votes will be counted on September 12.
The election also saw the use of e-Poll cards via the Singpass app, allowing voters to prove their identity digitally.
As evening fell, queues virtually disappeared, and polls closed at 8 pm, initiating the ballot counting process. Ballot boxes were sealed and transported to counting centers, where the ballots were sorted by candidate. The final result confirmed Mr. Tharman’s resounding victory.
