The results of the 2023 Presidential Elections or PE2023 are in and it’s clear — Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the ninth President of Singapore.
The former Senior Minister emerged victorious at the polls with 70.4% of votes.
Meanwhile, his fellow candidates Mr Ng Kok Song and Mr Tan Kin Lian earned 15.72% and 13.88% respectively.
After a whirlwind week of campaigning following their nominations, Singapore’s presidential candidates saw the fruits of their labour early on Saturday (2 Sep) morning.
Among them, Mr Tharman had good reason to celebrate after the Elections Department of Singapore (ELD) declared him President.
He was elected into office with 70.4% of votes, leaving his competitors far behind.
Earlier at about 10.45pm, Mr Ng Kok Song had conceded defeat after the sample count revealed that he had 16% of votes at that time.
Despite garnering 14% of votes in the sample count, Mr Tan Kin Lian had refused to concede and wanted to wait till the final count.
Addressing the media after his triumph, Mr Tharman said that he was truly humbled by all the support Singaporeans have given him.
He thanked his fellow candidates, whom he said “put full effort and energy into their campaigns and made it a worthy contest”.
I believe the vote for me and what I stand for is a vote for confidence in Singapore. It’s a vote for optimism for a future in which we can progress together and support each other as Singaporeans.
Mr Tharman described such a future as one where every generation “gets the confidence of knowing that we have reserves” to help us in the future come what may.
He also hopes that Singapore won’t be treated as “just another small country” and that others will take us seriously.
I pledge, and it will be my duty, to use the roles and responsibilities of the President to advance this future of optimism and solidarity among Singaporeans.
Some supporters whom MS News spoke to at Taman Jurong Hawker Centre expressed their elation at the results.
Mrs Loke, a 58-year-old retiree, said Mr Tharman knows how to care for elderly residents. She claimed that he asked his team to get something to aid old folks who couldn’t walk properly.
Meanwhile, 43-year-old student care officer Bavani Risha shared that she has been expecting this victory for over 20 years. She explained that Mr Tharman is humble in the way he speaks and treats people well.
Business Development Manager Prathip Rengasamy, also 43, turned up at Taman Jurong Hawker Centre after seeing on the news that Mr Tharman was there. Sadly, he missed the President who had left by the time he arrived. Nevertheless, he was hopeful he’d see Mr Tharman again someday.
Despite the smooth win, Mr Tharman’s campaign saw him often answering questions about partisanship. This was likely due his history in the Finance Ministry and People’s Action Party (PAP).
Several times, he had to quash such accusations and assure the public that he is his own man, who’s able to make his own decisions.
And while his political history spanning decades raised doubts about his independence, Mr Tharman argued that it’d be an advantage instead.
His familiarity with the system of Governance and track record of representing Singapore overseas, in his view, would put him in good stead as President.
Evidently, many voters agreed, as they cast their votes for him on Polling Day on Friday (1 Sep).
Now, all Mr Tharman has to do is prove to supporters that they’ve made the right choice. Let’s hope that he will, as he represents and unifies Singapore as President.
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Featured image by MS News. Photography by Iskandar Rossali.
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