Former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be Singapore’s ninth president after winning an overwhelming 70.4% of the votes at the 2023 Presidential Election.
Former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song received 15.72% of the votes while former NTUC Income CEO Tan Kin Lian received 13.88% of the votes.
During the sample count released around 10.40pm, Tharman secured 70% of the votes while Ng Kok Song clinched 16% of the votes. Tan rounded up the trio with 14% of the votes tipped in his favour. The sample count was based on a random bundle of 100 ballot papers taken from each polling station.
In his address to his supporters and the media after the results of the sample count, Tharman said: “I’m truly humbled by the strong endorsement that Singaporeans have given to me in the Presidential Election. I first want to thank my fellow candidates. They put full effort and energy into their campaigns and made it a worthy contest… I also want to thank Singaporeans for following the issues closely and engaging calmly throughout this Presidential Election period.”
“I believe that the vote for me and what I stand for is a vote of confidence in Singapore. It’s a vote of optimism and the future,” he added.
Tharman also spoke of his hopes for Singapore where it won’t be treated as “just another small country”, and that it will become a “partner of choice” and be “taken seriously in the world” in future.
Ng congratulated Tharman on his “magnificent victory” and noted that he had achieved his goals - to give Singaporeans their right to vote - when he first came forward to stand for the presidency.
“I am delighted for Mr Tharman and I’m very glad… that he has indeed earned a mandate from the people of Singapore. So I congratulate him,” he said.
After thanking the Singaporeans who voted for him, his supporters, as well as immediate family members including his fiancee Sybil Lau and his pets, Ng wished Tharman the best, saying that he is “confident” that he’ll make a good president.
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Ng added that he conceded defeat to Tharman, saying that there was “no need to wait a few more hours in order to get the final result”. “The result is clear and I want to say thank you once again to the people of Singapore.”
Tan also sent his “sincere congratulations” to Tharman for his “success in this contest”.
“I’m confident he’ll be elected as the President of Singapore. I wish him all the best in meeting the challenges ahead and I hope he will be able to help bring a better life for the people,” he said.
However, he added that he would concede defeat when the final results were out even though Tharman had received “an overwhelming lead”. “I expected to do much better but with the elections, things are uncertain.”
Prior to the results, Tan said that “2023 will be [his] time” and that he was “confident” that he would perform better this round. He added that he would reflect on why he didn’t do better. In the previous polls in 2011, Tan lost his election deposit after failing to secure at least an eighth - or 12.5% - of the number of votes cast.
Some 2.48 million Singaporeans went to the polls on Sept 1 to elect a head of state among Tharman, Ng and Tan.
In the run-up to the elections, Ng stressed his political independence while Tan referred to himself as a problem solver. Tharman highlighted his track record of working with the people from his former constituency, Jurong. At a town hall at Pasir Panjang Power Station on Aug 26, Tharman also alluded to his independence, saying he was “independent-minded” and that he was his “own man”. He added that he brings “real experience on the ground” as well as real experience with the reserves.
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The three candidates revealed their campaign symbols on Aug 22. Ng’s symbol was a “hand with a heart”, which was described as “united for our future”. Tan’s symbol, “figures reaching up”, denoted his hopes for Singaporeans to be “living in harmony”. Tharman’s symbol, which was a pineapple, was simply described as “pineapple”.
All three candidates each received a certificate of eligibility to run for the election on Aug 18. There were a total of six hopefuls who had put their name forward, including George Goh, entrepreneur and Singapore’s former non-resident ambassador to Morocco. They did not qualify to run under the eligibility criteria set out by the Elections Department (ELD) Singapore.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan won the 2011 Presidential Election after receiving 35.2% of the vote. He narrowly beat Tan Cheng Bock by just 0.35% (or 7,382 votes), who received 34.85% of the vote.
Tan Jee Say received 25.04% of the vote while Tan Kin Lian received 4.91% of the vote.
At the time, 37,826 of the votes - or some 1.74% - of the total 2.18 million votes received - were spoilt. This time, 50,152 - or 2.02% of the 2.48 million total valid votes received - were spoilt.
The 2017 Presidential Elections, which named Halimah Yacob as Singapore’s eighth President, went uncontested
