SINGAPORE: Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian has congratulated frontrunner Tharman Shanmugaratnam for garnering 70 percent of the vote in a sample count, asserting his confidence that the former Senior Minister would be elected as head of state.
Mr Tan, who received 14 percent of the vote in the sample count, said: “I wish him all the best in meeting the challenges ahead and I hope he will be able to bring a better life for the people.”
Unlike fellow candidate Ng Kok Song, who officially conceded the contest after the sample count revealed he had garnered 16 percent of the vote, Mr Tan said he would not do so until the final results come in.
He said: “But Mr Tharman has certainly got an overwhelming lead as of now. So I would think that he deserves my congratulations. I expected to do much better. But I think in an election things are uncertain.”
Mr Tan added that he would have to “reflect” upon the results of the sample count not favouring him.
Despite this, he thanked his supporters and family members for their hard work and “dedicated support towards our common goal”.
He added: “I will now heed the advice of my family to take life easy and live a normal life. I will spend more time with my grandchildren. In my free time, I will continue to do my part in voicing the hardship and aspirations of the people through other channels.”
The 14 percent Mr Tan received in the sample count is almost three times higher than the 4.9 percent he received in the last open Presidential Election more than a decade ago, in 2011.
Although Mr Tan did not lose his deposit this time, the results have raised concerns about whether the outcome is an indicator of the level of public support for the smaller opposition parties and veteran politicians like Tan Cheng Bock and Chee Soon Juan, who endorsed Mr Tan – despite a series of concerning Facebook posts that have been labelled sexist.
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