SINGAPORE: Presidential candidate Ng Kok Song has conceded defeat after a sample count this evening (1 Sept) revealed he has received a vote share of 16 percent, compared to establishment pick Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s 70 percent.
The final result saw Mr Ng Kok Song take 15.72 percent of the vote, or 390,041 votes, compared with Mr Tharman’s 70.4 percent and Mr. Tan Kin Lian’s 13.88 percent.
Mr Ng Kok Song said that he had congratulated Mr. Tharman on a “magnificent victory”.
Thanking Singaporeans who voted for him, his fiancée Sybil Lau, and his campaign team, Mr Ng said: “As far as I am concerned, there is 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.”
The 75-year-old former GIC chief investment officer added: “The relatively low percentage of votes that I obtained was the price that I really needed to pay in order to give Singaporeans the opportunity to exercise their right to vote. That was the ultimate objective when I set out to stand for the presidency and I’m glad that I’ve achieved that goal.”
Mr Ng said his goal was to ensure that Singapore would not have another walkover. He said, “So I’m very happy that I have accomplished that goal.”
Mr Ng plans to return to his private fund management firm, Avanda Investment Management. He told the press: “That is how I hope to continue contributing in a tangible way to developing Singapore as a financial centre.”
He left the office of the social media agency that aided his campaign after addressing the press.
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