FORMER senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the lead to become Singapore’s ninth president, with 70 per cent of the votes in an early sample count released at 10.42 pm on Polling Day (Sep 1), following the close of polls at 8 pm.

In the sample count, former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song had 16 per cent of the vote, while former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian was close behind with 14 per cent.

Speaking to the media after the sample count results were released, Tharman said he was “humbled by the strong endorsement” that he had been given. He thanked his fellow candidates, as well as Singaporeans “for following the issues closely and engaging calmly” during the election.

“I believe that the vote for me and what I stand for is a vote of confidence in Singapore,” he said. “It’s a vote of optimism for a future in which we can progress together and support each other as Singaporeans.”

He was speaking at Taman Jurong Food Centre, where his supporters had gathered to wait for the results.

After the sample count results, the other two candidates acknowledged that Tharman had all but won. Tan congratulated Tharman in advance, noting his “overwhelming lead”.

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“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,” Tan added.

At his own gathering of supporters, Ng told the media that he had conceded to Tharman, saying: “The result is clear.” He thanked the voters who supported him, and said he was glad to have provided an opportunity for Singaporeans to exercise their right to vote.

In the sample count release, the Elections Department (ELD) said: “As this is a sample count, the election result could be different. Counting is still in progress.”

The public should wait for the announcement of the election result by the returning officer, Tan Meng Dui, which will be broadcast on television, added the ELD.

A total of 2,530,912 Singaporeans voted across 1,264 polling stations islandwide, representing 93.4 per cent of the 2,709,455 eligible voters.

In each election, a sample count is performed at the start of the counting process to get an early indication of the possible outcome.

This is the first presidential election where the sample count has been publicly released ahead of the final results, with the ELD first doing so for the 2015 General Election.