SINGAPORE: Late on Friday (Sept 1) night, Singapore elected its 9th president, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

It was a landslide win, with Mr Tharman garnering 70.4 per cent of the votes. Mr Tan Kin Lian saw 13.88 per cent of the votes, and Mr Ng Kok Song saw 15.72 per cent.

More than an hour earlier, Mr Tharman was ahead in the polls’ sample count with 70 per cent of votes, while Mr Ng Kok Song and Mr Tan Kin Lian were trailing with 16% and 14%, respectively.

The counting of votes started after polling stations closed at 8 pm, with more than 2.7 million Singaporeans expected to have cast votes in the country’s first contested Presidential Election since 2011.

After the Elections Department announced that Mr Tharman had received 70 per cent of the vote share, the former Senior Minister said he is “truly humbled by the strong endorsement” Singaporeans have given him.

“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 for a future in which we can progress together and support each other Singaporeans. I will honour the trust that Singaporeans have placed in me and respect all Singaporeans including those who did not vote for me,” he added. /TISG

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