Tharman Shanmugaratnam elected as Singapore’s 9th president in 70.4% landslide

IN THE first contested presidential election in over a decade, Singaporeans chose former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam as the nation’s next president – by a resounding margin.

He received 1,746,427 votes, 70.4 per cent of the more than 2.48 million valid votes cast on Friday (Sep 1), the Elections Department (ELD) announced at 12.22 am on Saturday.

In a statement after the results, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted the “decisive margin” by which Tharman was elected. Noting Tharman’s “long and distinguished record of public service”, he said: “I have every confidence that he will carry out his duties as president with distinction.”

There were 50,152 rejected votes, making up 1.98 per cent of all votes cast. This was comparable to the 1.76 per cent rate in the last contested presidential election in 2011.

Following nine days of campaigning and Cooling-off Day, Singaporeans cast their votes across 1,264 polling stations.

An early indication of Tharman’s victory was the sample count released at 10.42 pm on Friday, in which he had 70 per cent of the vote.

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In the final results announced by returning officer Tan Meng Dui, former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song came second with 390,041 or 15.72 per cent of the valid votes.

He was followed by former NTUC Income chief executive officer Tan Kin Lian, with 13.88 per cent or 344,292 votes.

Speaking to the media after the sample count results, Tharman said that 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 noted. “It’s a vote of optimism for a future in which we can progress together and support each other as Singaporeans.”

This future, he added, is one where Singaporeans have deep respect for each other; each generation is confident in the financial support from the reserves; and the nation is taken seriously internationally and “never treated as a small country”.

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 and Ng both congratulated Tharman in advance, noting his “overwhelming lead” and “magnificent victory”.

In his statement, PM Lee said that he had called Tharman to congratulate him on his victory and assure him of the government’s full cooperation. Tharman likewise declared his intention to work closely with the government, he added.

PM Lee thanked all three candidates for putting themselves forward, adding that in this election, both voters and candidates have “shown a greater understanding of the roles and duties of the president, which bodes well for Singapore”.

“Now that the election is over, let us come together again as Singaporeans, to tackle the challenges ahead and build a stronger and more united nation,” said PM Lee.

Reasons for victory

Political analysts attributed Tharman’s decisive victory to his personal popularity among Singaporeans.

NUS associate professor of political science Chong Ja Ian noted that the result was “not too far” from the vote share that Tharman’s People’s Action Party (PAP) team previously attained in the Jurong Group Representation Constituency.

Tharman’s landslide win shows that race is no longer a deciding factor for voters, he added: “Tharman’s victory reflects that Singaporeans can and do vote for minority candidates, and will support them for high office.”

It also shows that if there is “the right kind of establishment candidate”, Singaporeans will support them, he said.

Nanyang Technological University political analyst Felix Tan said that Tharman’s consistency in the hustings – never wavering from his key messages – also contributed to the overwhelming support.

As for Ng, his 15.72 per cent vote share can be considered “a pleasant surprise”, given that he was not well-known before the election, said Dr Tan.

Ng also ran his campaign largely on social media, and did not put up posters or banners, making his reach to the vast majority of Singaporeans “very limited”, he added.

At his gathering of supporters, Ng told the media that his relatively low vote share was “the price that I willingly paid 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,” he said. He added that he wanted to encourage other capable people to come forward to serve Singapore and give back to the nation.

The outgoing president, Halimah Yacob, was elected without a contest in 2017. Tharman’s landslide victory on Friday, meanwhile, was a far cry from the slim margin in the last contested election.

In 2011’s four-cornered fight, former president Tony Tan was elected by a margin of just 7,269 votes. He received 35.19 per cent of more than 2.1 million valid votes, a hair ahead of the 34.85 per cent attained by runner-up Tan Cheng Bock.

Coming third was Tan Jee Say, with 25.04 per cent, followed by Tan Kin Lian with 4.91 per cent.

Tan Kin Lian lost his election deposit in 2011 as he failed to get at least one-eighth of the votes, but retained it this election. He told reporters after the sample count that he had “expected to do much better”.

Asked what he thought went wrong, he replied: “I would not know. So I think we will have to reflect upon that.”

Prof Chong attributed Tan’s improved performance to the smaller number of candidates this election, and his greater name recognition after his 2011 bid.

Still, Tan came in last once again. This could reflect that Singaporeans are not “comfortable” with a politicised presidential campaign, said Dr Tan: “The way that he ran his campaign turned people off. He made this a very polarised and politicised campaign.”

Different messages

In the lead-up to Polling Day, questions of political independence and potential competence had dominated the campaigns of the three candidates.

Running under the slogan “Respect for all”, Tharman had promised to use his breadth and depth of experience to serve Singaporeans domestically and internationally.

Even while urging voters to consider his track record in government, he stressed his “independence of mind”. A member of the ruling PAP for 22 years, he held multiple roles in Cabinet before resigning in July to contest the election.

Ng had positioned himself as the only true non-partisan candidate, pointing out Tharman’s history in the government and Tan’s support from opposition veterans. But he also noted his familiarity with the government machinery, given his 45 years in the public service.

Tan had said that, if elected, he would convey citizens’ views to the government and help find ways to improve Singaporeans’ lives. He and his supporters fashioned him as the only independent “non-establishment” candidate – but others questioned his independence, given the support he received from opposition party leaders.

Tan’s fellow losers in 2011 – Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Tan Jee Say – emerged to back him in this year’s presidential race, as did Peoples Voice chief Lim Tean and Singapore Democratic Party leader Chee Soon Juan.