2023 Singaporean presidential election

2023 Singaporean presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Singapore on 1 September 2023. They were the sixth public presidential elections, but only the third to be contested by more than one candidate. Incumbent president Halimah Yacob, who had been elected unopposed in 2017, did not seek re-election.
Three candidates ran for the non-partisan position: Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Ng Kok Song, and Tan Kin Lian, who were all independents or had resigned from any political parties that they had previously been members of. They were all issued the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and a community certificate to be able to contest in the elections, per the eligibility requirements.
Tharman won a majority of the votes, at 70.41% of the votes and winning by a record margin. He also became the first non-Chinese candidate to be directly elected to the presidency. Ng received 15.72% of the vote and two-time presidential candidate Tan 13.87%, the latter having improved his performance after losing his deposit in 2011. Tharman was inaugurated on 14 September as the ninth president of Singapore.
Background
The president of Singapore is the head of state of Singapore. The incumbent president was Halimah Yacob, who took office on 14 September 2017. She was also the first female president in the country's history. The president of Singapore is paid an annual salary of S$1.54 million or US$1.1 million and is subject to periodic White Paper reviews.
Eligibility
Candidates must satisfy either the public sector or private sector requirements. The public sector requirement has an automatic track where the candidate has held either a designated public office or chief executive position of a key statutory board or government company. The private sector requirements also have an automatic track where the candidate has held the chief executive position of a company with S$500 million shareholders' equity and net profitability. Not withstanding the automatic tracks of the aforementioned, candidates could also be qualified on a deliberative track where their abilities and experiences have been assessed by the PEC to be equivalent to either the public or private sector automatic track requirements.
The presidency is required by the Constitution to be non-partisan. However, many former presidents, as well as former candidates, had ties with the long-ruling People's Action Party prior to their tenures or candidacies. In this election, Tharman served as an MP for the PAP. He was a cabinet minister from 2015 to 2023, and was once seen as a potential candidate for Prime Minister. Tharman was also described by Reuters news agency as a candidate seen to be closest with the country's establishment.
Meanwhile, Ng had previous work experience with Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, the GIC, as well as the country's monetary authority, and Tan had previous ties with an arm of the National Trades Union Congress that is now known as Income Insurance. Tan also had the support of a number of opposition figures for his candidacy, including SDP's Tan Jee Say and Lim Tean with Peoples Voice as proposers, a mid-race endorsement from former presidential candidate and current PSP chairman Tan Cheng Bock (albeit in a personal capacity), as well as advocacies from SDP's Chee Soon Juan and PPP leader Goh Meng Seng.
Following amendments to the Constitution, the 2017 presidential election was the first to be reserved for a particular racial community. It was first restricted to candidates from the minority Malay community, who had not held the presidency since 1970. The 2023 presidential election is open to candidates of any racial community.
Election procedures
The incumbent President Halimah Yacob's term of office is scheduled to end on 13 September 2023. Hence, there is a need to hold a presidential election within three months of its expiration, which began on 13 July 2023. Any Singaporean citizen who wishes to be a candidate in the election has to apply and receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) as well as a community certificate.
On 11 August, the writ of election was issued by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. In the writ of election, details of the Nomination Day were stated. Nomination Day was held on 22 August 2023 at the People's Association (PA) headquarters situated at 9 King George's Avenue. The Returning Officer for this election is Tan Meng Dui, CEO of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), who is serving his second election for this role after the 2020 general election.
By Nomination Day, all prospective candidates had to prepare their nomination papers. One must have the COE, community certificate and political donation certificate. One also had to pay the election deposit of $40,500, which was lowered from the last election in 2017 of $43,500. A candidate will lose this deposit if they cannot secure over 12.50% of the total votes cast. The nomination paper must be signed by one's proposer, seconder and at least four assentors, and be handed to the Returning Officer between 11:00 to 12:00 SST (UTC+08:00) on Nomination Day. On Nomination Day itself, the Returning Officer announced the candidates running for the presidency. However, if only one candidate was successfully nominated, the election would be declared as a walkover and the sole nominated candidate would be the President-elect; otherwise, the Polling Day was adjourned to 1 September.
In-person rallies were discouraged by the Elections Department, which did not designate any rally sites for the election. It also stated that rallies may be divisive and not congruent with the nature of the unifying role of the presidential system. Candidate speeches were televised on local television channels instead, while smaller election meetings were allowed to be held, albeit indoors or with cover for security reasons. Campaigning was held between 22 and 30 August. This is followed by cooling-off day, on the eve of Polling Day on 31 August, where campaigning was prohibited to allow time for voters to reflect on events before casting their votes.
Voting
Polling Day is being held on 1 September, where polls are cast between 08:00 to 20:00; the winner of the election is determined through the first-past-the-post voting (FPTP) and will be inaugurated on 14 September. The election would see 2,709,455 eligible voters cast their votes, up from 2,653,942 from the most recent general election in 2020 and 2,274,773 from the last contested presidential election in 2011. The ELD increased the number of polling stations from 1,097 to 1,264, reducing the number of voters allocated to each station from an average of 2,400 to 2,150 people compared to the last election held. They had also assigned more civil servants, increasing the manpower from 30,000 to 36,000. The 'X' pen used in the 2020 general election was also replaced with an 'X' stamp to eliminate the confusion of some voters in the previous election held who had mistaken the pen for writing rather than for stamping. After the polls closed, these ballot boxes were then sealed and transported to one of 215 counting stations island-wide to initiate the counting process.
On 24 August, ELD issued an apology to 9,822 voters from Tanjong Pagar GRC, all of whom had been assigned to vote at either St Margaret's School, Tanglin Community Centre, Farrer Park Primary School or Delta Sports Hall, for a printing mishap whereby duplicate poll cards with different serial numbers had been printed and sent to voters by mistake. ELD also announced that about 200 voters would be excluded from the list of electorates and would thus be unable to vote on Polling Day, citing scanning issues on some NRIC cards during the 2020 general election, and that 32,807 non-voters had since been reinstated into the list when restorations opened on 5 October 2020; this number was later increased to 1,093.
With the amendments of a bill on 8 March 2023, mobile polling stations were set up at 31 selected nursing homes to cater for the elderly and seniors for the first time ever. This move was made in response to the increase in the ageing electorate and mitigating travel restrictions, especially in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic occurring at the time of the 2020 elections, according to Education Minister and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing. During this election, there would be 4,807 home residents voting through these stations.
During the opening hours of the Polling Day, there were technical issues with the e-registration system, leading to a build-up of queues at the various polling stations. The technical issues were progressively being resolved. When Parliament convened on 18 September, Chan addressed these issues to ensure a prevention of similar incidents in the future.
Under constitution of compulsory voting, non-voters would be delisted from the Registers of Electors and for the first time ever, will be notified of such via mail and the SingPass app. The list of non-voters will be compiled and published at a later date.
Overseas voting
In 2023, an amendment to the Presidential Elections Act and Parliamentary Elections Act was tabled in Parliament that enables Singaporeans living abroad to vote by post in subsequent elections, giving them an additional option. This was the first election whereby Singaporean citizens abroad could exercise their voting rights by post. Prior to 2023, they may only vote in person at one of ten designated overseas polling stations, located in various places such as Australia (Canberra), China (three polling stations: Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai), Japan (Tokyo), the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), the United Kingdom (London) and the United States (three polling stations: New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.).
Each citizen was assigned to an overseas polling station depending on where they lived. Expatriate citizens were also assigned a polling station in Singapore, where they could vote in person if they happened to be in Singapore on the polling day.
ELD confirmed on 23 August that 6,649 voters have been registered as overseas voters, with 3,432 doing postal voting and the rest being assigned to their respective overseas polling stations. During the Polling Day, ELD advised overseas voters in Hong Kong to follow the latest safety updates about the upcoming Typhoon Saola that would reach Hong Kong before heading outdoors to vote, and its voting station opened as usual. Elsewhere, Japan, another country with an overseas polling station, had reported its highest average temperature during the voting hours amidst the ongoing heat wave.
Candidates
Elections Department (ELD) announced that there were 6 Certificate of Eligibility applications, three of which (two Chinese and one Indian/other minority) were accepted. ELD also announced that there were 16 Community Certificate applications, six of which (five Chinese and one Indian/other minority) were accepted.
Eligible
Declared ineligible
Publicly expressed interest
Lee Hsien Yang — Lee spent most of his career in the private sector, including being the CEO of Singtel and Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). A prominent member of the Lee family, he is the youngest son of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and brother of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Lee is estranged from his brother over the 38 Oxley Road dispute and had previously endorsed the Progress Singapore Party in the 2020 Singaporean general election. Lee said during a telephone interview with Bloomberg in March 2023, "There is a view that depending on who they (referring to the People's Action Party) float, if I were to run they would be in serious trouble and could lose. A lot of people have come to me. They really want me to run. It's something I would consider." As of March 2023, both Lee and his wife, Lee Suet Fern, are currently in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom after being under investigation for lying during judicial proceedings. Lee did not collect his application forms from the Elections Department.
Seng Soon Kia — Seng is a 72-year-old former woodworking teacher who collected his application forms at the Elections Department office on 13 June 2023. In an interview conducted by the media following the collection of his application forms, he claimed to have fulfilled the requirements to run as president.
Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming — Teo is a 45-year-old information technology consultant who collected his application forms at the Elections Department office on 27 June 2023; he announced his presidential bid on TikTok. He expressed his admiration for Sun Yat-sen and Ong Teng Cheong, the fifth President of Singapore, and stated that he wished to be a "President for all" like them.
Declined to be candidates
Halimah Yacob — the incumbent and eighth president of Singapore, announced on 29 May 2023, that she would not be seeking re-election after "careful consideration".
George Yeo — Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2011 and Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC from 1988 to 2004, ruled out a run for president after his defeat in Aljunied GRC during the 2011 general election. In 2022, he confirmed he would not run for the 2023 presidential elections.
Endorsements
The candidates received the following endorsements, in alphabetical order:
Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Kishore Mahbubani, diplomat, former Singapore Permanent Representative to the United Nations and President of the United Nations Security Council
Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party (PAP)
Tommy Koh, diplomat, Singapore ambassador-at-large and former Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Ng Kok Song
George Yeo, former Cabinet Minister of Singapore and former Chief of Staff of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)
Tan Kin Lian
Chee Soon Juan, perennial political candidate and Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)
Goh Meng Seng, founder and Secretary-General of the People's Power Party (PPP)
Iris Koh, anti-vaccination activist
Lim Tean, founder and Secretary-General of the Peoples Voice (PV)
Tan Cheng Bock, former presidential candidate in 2011 and founder of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP)
Tan Jee Say, former presidential candidate in 2011 and former Secretary-General of the now defunct Singaporeans First (SingFirst)
Timeline
All dates reflected in this timeline are in Singapore Standard Time (SST), which is UTC+08:00.
Candidate participation timeline
Candidate announcement and, if applicable, withdrawal dates are as follows:
Selection of candidates
On 18 August, the Elections Department (ELD) announced the results of the application for the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and Community Certificates, one day after the applications for both certificates closed, on 17 August. Three potential candidates were issued both the COE and community declaration:
Ng Kok Song: due to the prior experience and ability comparable to someone who served as a Chief executive officer-equivalent role of a government-based company for at least three years. In Ng's case, he was the Chief investment officer of the GIC between 2007 and 2013.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam: due to serving as a cabinet minister for at least 3 years. Tharman served 20 years as a cabinet minister between 2003 and 2023, including as a Chairman of Monetary Authority of Singapore between 2011 and 2023.
Tan Kin Lian: due to the prior experience and ability comparable to someone who served as a Chief executive officer-equivalent role of a typical company with at least $500 million in shareholder equity. In Tan's case, he served as a chief executive officer of NTUC Income Insurance Cooperative between 1997 and 2007 for around 10 years and accumulated a shareholder's equity of over $1.4 billion during his tenure.
All three candidates had been characterized by ELD with 'integrity, good character and reputation'; both Ng and Tharman had satisfied the public sector requirements, while Tan had fulfilled the private sector requirements.
Nomination Day
Nomination day was held on 22 August 2023 at the People's Association headquarters situated at 9 King George's Avenue. The three candidates that were awarded the Certificate of Eligibility, Ng Kok Song, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Tan Kin Lian, were successfully nominated on Nomination Day.
Candidates' symbols and slogans
Following the nominations, the three candidates unveiled their symbols and their slogans, as follows:
In an interview by Tharman during his campaign, he also considered durian as his alternate symbol, but eventually went with pineapple as it represents prosperity, which also referenced his prior ministerial roles.
Team of Assenters
Campaigning period
Under amendments of bills on 8 March, minors under the age of 16 and foreign entities (such as companies or organisations from participating in election activities) are barred from any political involvement (previously to students currently studying Primary or Secondary Schools) to prevent any exploitation and flexible contingency, though they can still participate in election-related activities such as attending rallies. Foreign individuals remained barred from involvement under the current laws. For election expenses, the expenditure limit is capped at either S$600,000 or 30 cents per registered voter, whichever amount is greater. The amount was announced on 12 August to be S$812,822.10, higher than the minimum of S$600,000. They must also declare their election expenses within 31 days after Polling Day.
22–25 August
In their ensuing acceptance speeches on Nomination Day, Ng Kok Song was the first to deliver his speech. Ng revealed that he had never been part of a political party before, and if elected, vowing that he would protect his "three treasures" of past reserves, public services and social stability. Tharman Shanmugaratnam was the second to speak, pledging to have a "fair, dignified and honourable contest" for voters, and began his campaign that "unites Singaporeans and not divide us". Tan Kin Lian was the last to address his speech, and emphasised on voting a president "truly independent" of the government. Tan also claimed that he was involved in a "smear campaign" before the nomination over his social media posts.However, he later did apologise to those who felt "uncomfortable" from his posts.
Posters were erected immediately following the Nominations, with Tharman's posters being erected first followed by Tan's shortly after. Only Ng abstained from doing so, citing "limited resources" and environmental concerns – instead, he announced that he would rely on social media for his campaign strategy.
Ng also began his campaigning by visiting his former residence at Kangkar (now Sengkang and located in Upper Serangoon) where he bowed down and kissed the ground, referencing his childhood and proving that young Singaporeans can be successful regardless of background. Ng also visited several sites at Hougang, such as the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Montfort School and Kangkar Mall to distribute pamphlets. On the second day, Ng warned the media that the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister should not be "too close", as it would be difficult for the President to discharge their duties objectively without bias. He also added that he would schedule an online rally.
Tharman hosted an indoor rally at 24OWLS, which is located within Pasir Panjang Power Station, on 25 August.
25–30 August
Tan Kin Lian cancelled the remainder of his walkabouts and would not be giving interviews without giving reasons for doing so on the night of 27 August. On 28 August, several opposition candidates and political analysts began to query Tan's assertion as an "independent candidate" after seeing that he had received support from Tan Cheng Bock and Tan Jee Say on several media outlets, along with a sticker containing a memetic tagline "One Vote, Three presidents?". The sticker has since been removed as of 30 August due to a violation of the campaigning guidelines under the Presidential Election Act 1991, according to ELD and Tan's team, whose principal election agent, Prabu Ramachandran, verified that the sticker was done anonymously and neither their members had authorized them to do so; unauthorized publication of physical advertising is an offence under the act.
On 28 August, in light of Tan Cheng Bock's endorsement of Tan, Ng Kok Song questioned Tan's independence in the election. He stated that it is questionable for Tan to claim to be an independent candidate when he has been dependent on opposition party leaders, additionally accusing Tan of "making a mockery of the presidency" and that "political parties should wait for the next general election to make their point instead of confusing voters into thinking that this is a general election". Ng also concluded that such blatant political endorsements of Tan polarise voters by politicising the presidential election and that by doing so have "dishonoured the office of the President as a unifying non-partisan position."
On 29 August, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) responded that they had "denied any claims" and insisted they would "neither endorse nor support any candidates" even when party volunteers received an email to register as counting agents for Tan, whose endorsements can negatively influence the party, according to their CEC members. On the same day, Ng reiterated the meaning of non-partisan to the media during his walkabout at Marine Parade where Singaporeans do not want a president "who's manipulated by either the governing party or by the opposition parties", in their response to Tan's endorsements. Tharman Shanmugaratnam responded on media during a walkabout at Sengkang that he found it "absurd" and concerned that his rivals are "increasingly sweeping statements" pertaining to being non-partisan, in which Ng replied that it was "misquoted"; Tharman urged the voters to take this seriously and felt "very unfortunate" for voters who spoil their votes as a response on politicisation.
Later that evening, a police report was lodged against a man on a bicycle who disrupted and heckled Ng and his team while conducting his walkabout at Clementi. The man had attempted to ram on with his bicycle, and launched an expletive-laden rant onto Ng, then repeatedly shouting Tan's name before he left the scene. Nobody was hurt in the ensuing incident, and Ng encouraged people to "behave in a respectful manner". The man surrendered himself to the police the next day by claiming that he had posed a danger to himself with intentions to self-harm. He was subsequently apprehended and sent to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Subsequently, security for Ng and their team was enhanced, while the video went viral. Elsewhere, Tan's seconder Lim Tean adjourned his court trial for charges against acting as an advocate or solicitor in an unauthorized manner in 2021, which was initially scheduled on 29 August, after he dismissed his representative lawyer citing "fundamental disagreements", and to avoid conflicts with the election. District Judge Ong Hian Sun told Lim to find a new lawyer by the next day or he will represent himself for the trial instead. On the same day, activist and lawyer M Ravi filed a separate lawsuit to the Supreme Court in his attempt to disqualify Tharman from the candidacy, citing a breach in the constitution's Article 19 because of his conviction under the Official Secrets Act. He revealed the following day that the Court dismissed the application, ordering Ravi to pay costs of S$6,000.
On 30 August, the leading opposition party Workers' Party (WP), reiterated its objection to the elected presidency in favour of a return to a ceremonial presidency – where the President is appointed by Parliament – and has stated that it will not endorse any candidates in the presidential election. The party also added that the current qualifying criteria for presidential candidates is "skewed towards People's Action Party (PAP)–approved candidates", and the "elected presidency in its current form undermines parliamentary democracy". Meanwhile, screenshots depicting the Reserves & Investment (R&I) Directorate list of employees showing Akilan Shanmugaratnam, the son of Tharman working as a Finance Ministry officer since June 2022, went viral on social media. In response to the possibility of a conflict of interest if Tharman wins the presidency, the Ministry of Finance and Public Service Commission Secretariat simultaneously commented that there was "no conflict of interest between Tharman's candidacy in the presidential elections and his son Akilan", and that their decision to rotate his post back in July was to "preempt any possible such conflicts".
The candidates wrapped up their hustings on the last day prior to the cooling-off day with Ng and Tan respectively visiting Hougang and Sengkang, with Ng visiting the sub-region of Lorong Ah Soo and the Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery before ending at Kopitiam Square in Sengkang, while Tan was at Hougang Central. Tharman visited Marine Parade, including the Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre.
Television broadcasts
The timings are in Singapore Standard Time (SST), which is UTC+08:00.
First Presidential Candidate Broadcast
The first of the two rounds of the Presidential Candidate Broadcast was held on 24 August; the order of the candidates appearing in this round of broadcast is based on the alphabetical order of the surnames. Ng said that "the time has come" for a president to be fully non-partisan and said that he was neither endorsed nor represented by a political party, specifically the ruling People's Action Party without fear or favour. He added that the president's role will also serve as a "constitutional check" on a bad government that might raid the country's reserves, or appoint incompetent or corrupt individuals to key public service positions. He added that Singapore can "no longer take for granted" that it will always have a "good and honest" government, saying that there is a need for external check functioning in good corporate governance like himself as its "ownself check ownself" system isn't reliable. He also pledged to "Do Well, Do Right and Do Good" to provide a resilience of body and mind.
Tharman said that he would bring his ideal of "independence of mind" and "respect" should he be elected, and wanted to become a "unifying figure at home and to advance Singapore's interests abroad", as he mentioned that modern-day Singapore's democracy, as well as the current political climate in the world, were diverse but also challenging at times, concerning a political divide. He also had plans to voice out views in Singapore so as to prove that Singapore "never become just another small country" and said that he was an "optimist in our future".
Tan highlighted two key duties of the president given his 30 years prior experience as a CEO of NTUC Income Insurance Cooperative. One that safeguards Singapore's reserves is that he intends to invest "prudently" with the support of the government to ensure that it is benefiting Singaporeans. Two, protecting the integrity of public service. He values the efforts and emphasises the needs of certain talents who have many years of working experience and possess excellent practical skills, especially thinking skills, to form a good team and told that he would give those the opportunity to promote to leadership positions, not just scholars. He also clarified that he didn't intend to be an "adversary to the elected government", but said that he would collaborate more with the government and reiterated beliefs on the "spirit of unity and pride", as well as connecting with ordinary people on "their hardship and aspirations". Prior to the broadcast, both ELD and the Infocomm Media Development Authority had amended Tan's script by removing some inaccuracies, specifically the president's role and enticing the voters.
CNA Presidential Forum
The CNA forum was held on 28 August at about 21:09, with Otelli Edwards hosting. Eight questions are asked to three candidates in order before they make their closing speeches after the questions are answered:
What experience and expertise do you possess, that make you the most qualified candidate to be the President?
Beyond what the Government tells you, what factors would you consider, before using the second key to the Past Reserves?
How can you convince voters you are not politicising the election and will exercise your powers without fear or favour?
What unique traits do you possess that will help you represent Singapore on the global stage?
What role would you play as President to build a more inclusive and compassionate society?
How do you plan to connect with young Singaporeans and involve them in writing the next chapter of the Singapore story?
Beyond your ceremonial and community roles, how do you intend to be a unifying figure for the nation?
What major challenges will Singapore face and how will you, within the powers of the President, help Singaporeans to cope?
The forum was rerun on Channel 5 at 21:00 the day after on 29 August.
Second Presidential Candidate Broadcast
The second of the two rounds of the Presidential Candidate Broadcast was held on 30 August; the order of the candidates appearing in this round of broadcast is reversed from the first round.
Tan Kin Lian's broadcast acknowledged that the President has no executive authority to cover common issues and matters, particularly from younger people, but that he could focus on going with a "soft influence" for such changes, and all with a focus to "achieve our common goals for the benefit of Singapore". Furthermore, he made a public apology for the criticism he had received over his social media posts about women from some sectors of the public, specifically the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE). He added that he would be "more mindful of what I say" going forward. Tan also highlighted that one could factor his experience as President from making "sound investment decisions" at NTUC Income and representing the country in an international insurance federation.
Tharman highlighted his track record of connecting with people from all backgrounds in his former Taman Jurong division of Jurong GRC when he was a member of parliament (MP) of the People's Action Party (PAP) for 22 years, his general political career in ministerial positions including as Minister of Finance, Deputy Prime Minister and Senior Minister, and reflected his experience on working with international organisations such as the G20, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations (UN) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). He also mentioned that the demands have been increased due to the "new and challenging future" where Singaporeans faced an increasing trend of "profound global risks and uncertainties", and to "differentiate him from an actual partisan candidate", stressing that his motive despite his political background has "never been politically partisan".
Ng warned in his second broadcast that politics in Singapore has become "highly contestable" and that electing the wrong team is "no longer a remote possibility". He added that the country cannot afford to have a President who may be beholden to political parties to serve their agenda and reiterated that it cannot continue to rely on an "ownself check ownself" mechanism. He believes the current generational transition of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) government carries "uncertainties and risks" which had been brought forward by the government due to scandals plaguing the party over the past month – such as the arrests of Transport Minister S Iswaran over allegations of corruption and the resignations of its MPs Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui over an extramarital affair. He also alluded to Tharman by stating whether it is appropriate for an ex-Finance Minister who "had set fiscal policies to then move across the table and become the President and check on the very policies that he had put in place". He also brought up the 1984 National Day Rally which was made by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, stating that Singaporeans should be aware of "silver-tongued politicians who make empty promises". He concluded that Singapore needs a truly independent President like himself to break from its past of having a President always endorsed by the PAP to protect the country's reserves from being squandered under a potential rogue government.
Social media
All social media events and campaigning occurred in 2023, unless otherwise stated, and are listed in chronological order.
Polling
Polling Day was on 1 September 2023, and polling stations opened from 08:00 to 20:00 SST (UTC+08:00). As with elections since 2015, a sample count was released by the Elections Department prior to the announcement of the actual results to prevent any unnecessary speculation or reliance on unofficial sources of information while counting was still under way. A standby counting machine was also used in the event of an election recount, which is automatically triggered when the top two candidates had a winning margin of within 2%.
During the polling, according to Lianhe Zaobao newspapers, a viral image surfaced online where one of the polling stations had refused entry to a female voter, who was wearing a shirt with pineapple prints, amounting to political propaganda and canvassing, which were both prohibited under the law during Polling (and cooling-off) day.
By 12:00, four hours after polls opened, 1,406,182 Singaporeans, representing about 52% of the electorate, had cast their votes. The number then later increased to 2,004,961 (74%) as of 15:00 and 2,302,996 (85%) as of 17:00. The eventual turnout (excluding the overseas electorate) was revealed as 2,530,912 (93.41%), lower than the 2011 and 2020's turnout of 94.80% and 95.81%, respectively. Overseas votes are complied on 12 September, bringing the final turnout to 2,534,711 (or 93.55%).
Results
The sample counts were announced at about 22:42. The count showed that Tharman Shanmugaratnam was leading with 70% of the votes, followed by Ng Kok Song with 16% and Tan Kin Lian with 14%. At about 23:15, Ng conceded during a press conference and congratulated Tharman in advance, stating that there was a clear result and there was no need to wait for the final results. At about 23:30, Tan congratulated Tharman, but refused to concede until the actual results are announced.
The local results were announced at about 00:23 the next day, followed by the overseas votes on 12 September. The final results are as follows:
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Post-election events
Overseas counting
The overseas vote counting was published on 12 September by the Elections Department. Only 3,799 votes were accepted for counting, of which only 78 votes have been rejected. Ng Kok Song, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Tan Kin Lian garnered 595, 2,834 and 292 votes, respectively, which saw only a 0.01% change in Tharman's and Tan's respective voting percentages. ELD also said that 2,997 postal votes have been downloaded and 2,263 mails were received as of the cut-off date on 11 September, of which only 1,345 have been accepted. The final turnout was 2,534,711, increasing its percentage by 0.14% from 93.41% up to 93.55%.
Inauguration
Tharman Shanmugratanam's inauguration took place at The Istana on Thursday, 14 September 2023 at around 19:40, marking the start of the six-year term of him as President. Similar to preceding presidents after Benjamin Sheares, Tharman said he would not be residing at The Istana so that he would remain active on involvement with Singaporeans. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, addressed on his speech that he understand that the election meant the voters said that the "race is a smaller factor now" and Tharman's election was "on his merits, by an overwhelming majority" and he respected his "long and distinguished" career and would look forward for their cooperation. In Tharman's inauguration speech, he swore to be "scrupulous and independent" on fulfilling his presidential role and understanding custodial powers, advising the Cabinet, the promise to unify Singapore to "make us a better society, and add to our ballast as we face a more turbulent world", its culture and heritage citing "we only truly succeed when we succeed together" and that the sporting industry has recently become more successful with "significant strides", and as a diplomat in international level solidifying its principals in the wake of the current economic trends, the China–United States relations and the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war; he mentioned that "we must not allow any of our differences to divide us" and again reminded that they must take up the challenge for that "the COVID-19 would not be Singapore's last crisis". The inauguration was witnessed under several Cabinet Ministers (except S Iswaran), former Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, and former President Tony Tan, along with their spouses; Lee's wife Ho Ching was absent on that day.
The day before inauguration on 13 September, Halimah Yacob thanked all the workers and staff members residing in The Istana early morning before she departs for her retirement. Halimah revealed on the final days of her presidency that she recalled on the controversial walkover on the preceding Presidential election, but reflected that she was "a president for all people, regardless of race, language, religion", and recalled on the early days about security concerns when she resides at a public housing in Yishun; she also announced her retirement after nearly 22 years of political involvement, and told that she would continue to work with the community "in different capacities", raising awareness for mental health and helping people with disabilities, and with empowering women and meritocracy. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his response on her farewell reception later that night, thanked her for fulfilling her promise as a "President for everyone" and her commitments during her tenure; In her final remarks on her farewell speech, she reminded Singaporeans must remain its values on unity and purpose. MeWATCH and CNA also posted a video in dedication on her presidency. Halimah would later be named as the new chancellor of Singapore University of Social Sciences on 1 October, and conferred the Order of Temasek (with High Distinction) on 25 October.
Expenditure
The expenditure report was published on 20 October with Tharman spending S$738,717, Ng with S$312,131 and Tan's S$71,366, as compared to Yacob's S$220,875 in 2017 despite being elected uncontested. Tharman also have reported to have received about S$800,000 of donations from eight different donors, and that the remaining amounts would be returned to their respective donors; Tan received donations amounted to about S$41,800 from about 120 donors, and reported that Tan Cheng Bock and Chee Soon Juan are not amongst the donors; Ng relied on his own finance for his campaign and therefore did not declare his donations.
Cooling-off day controversy
Elections Department reported on 2 October that they have filed police reports to both M Ravi and Iris Koh, founder of anti-vaccination activist group Healing the Divide, for repeatedly published online election advertising on TikTok and Facebook during both the cooling-off period and polling day, both days where campaigning and advertising are strictly prohibited. The content was displayed "to promote or prejudice the electoral success of a candidate or to otherwise enhance or prejudice the standing of a candidate". Koh was also at Tan's residence after polls closed, accusing journalists of bias. The assistant Returning Officer issued correction directions to TikTok and Meta, and all the aforementioned videos posted by them had since been removed.
Reactions
On 2 September 2023, shortly after the announcement of the election results, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong congratulated Tharman Shanmugaratnam on his election citing that he was confident in his ability to carry out his new duties as president "with distinction", and his intention to work closely with the government. Lee also thanked the two candidates for their participation, the election officials for their hard work, and overseas voters for carrying out their civic duty; he mentioned that now the election was over, he urged Singapore to stay united and "tackle the challenges ahead and build a stronger and more united nation". Deputy Prime Ministers Lawrence Wong and Heng Swee Keat also congratulated Tharman on separate posts, so was Lee's wife Ho Ching, and his younger brother Hsien Yang.
Elsewhere, his opponents had separate responses in congratulating Tharman. Ng Kok Song told on his media at one-north that he had achieved the "No. 1 goal" of allowing Singaporeans an opportunity to vote, which was his main objective while standing for the presidency. He further thanked Singapore for his recognition and pledged that he would continue to work with it, and also added "non-partisanship will now enter the vocabulary of governance in Singapore". Tan Kin Lian announced at his residence in Yio Chu Kang that he will "take things easy" under his family's advice, and thank their supporters and his opposition figures, who were also present in the scene, for their support, though he would continue to voice out concerns over his platforms, reflecting on his election bid.
Opposition figures also expressed congratulatory messages to Tharman; Workers' Party secretary-general Pritam Singh wrote in Facebook that changes were necessary, and his party would continue to push for during their political work, adding that the elected presidency was "well-known". He also revealed that he had worn his blue-collared shirt during polling day to mark the occasion. Former presidential candidate and Progress Singapore Party (PSP) founder Tan Cheng Bock also congratulated Tharman on his Facebook post the day later, adding that his campaign was "well-organised and dignified" and mentioned Tharman "is the people's choice". Current PSP's Secretary-general Leong Mun Wai also congratulated him and said that it was a "testimony to the fact that Singaporean voters do not vote along racial lines". He also mentioned that an 'race-based' Group Representation Constituency system is "no longer relevant". Singapore Democratic Party's Secretary-general Chee Soon Juan posted on his Instagram to congratulate Tharman, hoping that he would discharge his duties "faithfully, both in spirit and letter". Red Dot United's secretary-general Ravi Philemon also congratulated Tharman, citing their team's contest during the 2020 election with dignity.
Several other labour unions also expressed congratulatory messages to Tharman: Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman and former Nominated Member of Parliament Neil Parekh mentioned that the community has benefitted much from his good counsel, and would invite him as a guest-of-honour for the chamber's centenary celebrations in 2024.
In the early morning, Taman Jurong Market and Food Centre were crowded in the celebration of Tharman's election, with its supporters bringing out pineapples and chanting "Ong lai huat ah" (lit. Good Fortune) and "Majulah Singapura". Tharman also visited several sites, such as Marsiling Mall (with Senior Minister of State and Marsiling's MP Zaqy Mohamad present), then Our Tampines Hub, and HDB Hub, to thank the supporters. In a prior interview before results were announced, Tharman was "humbled" about how Singaporeans believed his trust over many years and called it a "vote of optimism for a future", while also praised his rivals that they've "put full effort and energy into their campaigns" and respected the other voters who did not vote for him, thanking them for "following the issues closely". Further, he mentioned that he wasn't expected a "high degree of endorsement" but told that there was a fair number of people who normally was against PAP knew it was a Presidential election and not a political or general election. He also added about the generation transition and hoped that his presidency will meant to mature its relationship of respect. On 6 September, Jurong GRC residents brought concerns to Red Dot United relating to high cost of living and inflation including the GST increase to 9% by the year end.
Outside politics, in the food & beverage sector, several bakeries and food chains island-wide reported a boost of sales on its pineapple-related food products upon Tharman's election. Lottery game 4D also revealed that the three numbers, 1388, 1572 and 7040, which were the respective polling percentages, were all sold out quickly within five minutes after the results. However, none of the numbers showed up on either draws that weekend. Shortly after the polls closed, another viral video of a toddler who repeatedly exclaim Tharman's name over Ng had surfaced on TikTok. The toddler's father and the uploader, Faisal Marican, thanked the netizens for the video responses after informing that The Istana gave an invitation to the toddler. In the education sector, in response to the issuance of Writ of Election earlier, Ministry of Education (MOE) have announced that they would reschedule its Teacher's Day celebrations from the original date of 1 to 11 September, which also in turn, rescheduled its GCE 'N' Level examinations from the original date of 11 September to 12 and 20 September.
International reactions
: President Alexander Lukashenko congratulated Tharman, citing confidence that he would succeed in improving the well-being of citizens and stimulating economic growth and its relationship between the two countries.
: The Canadian High Commission congratulated Tharman for his victory, and thanked outgoing President Halimah Yacob for her contributions to the relationship between Canada and Singapore.
: President Xi Jinping called to congratulate Tharman via phone call, according to Xinhua News Agency, and added that he would continue to work with him to improve their relationship.
: Ambassador to Singapore Iwona Piórko congratulated Tharman and said that the EU and Singapore have a deepening partnership that contributes effectiveness to addressing global and regional challenges.
: * Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Tharman and posted on Twitter that he will be looking forward to working closely with the bilateral ties and its India–Singapore Strategic Partnership.
: Ambassador-designate to Singapore Dante Brandi posted on the Ambasciata d'Italia a Singapore's Instagram page a picture of his appearance at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors 2021 meeting as a commemoration of his win.
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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sent congratulatory messages to Tharman who "conjured Singapore's presidency", and stated his desire for an underlying bond of "family spirit" between the neighbouring nations.
Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) founder and former minister Syed Saddiq also congratulated Tharman, saying that his victory truly united Singaporeans, transcending race, religion and politics, and reminded that it was an "unbreakable bond of family".
: King Salman and his Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman both congratulate Tharman and gave wishes for "success" and "further progress and prosperity."
: Outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen offered her congratulations to Tharman in a press release, accompanied with a congratulatory letter expressing her hope of furthering bilateral ties. Tsai also said that "Taiwan attaches great importance to its relations with Singapore", and looking forward for him to seek bilateral cooperation with Taiwan.
: Ambassador to Singapore Kateryna Zelenko congratulated Tharman, and said that "We look forward to further good cooperation and friendship" between Singapore and Ukraine.
: President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice Presidents and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Deputy Prime Minister Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, all congratulated Tharman's victory through cabling.
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Wolfson College's president Jane Clarke congratulated Tharman, an alumni of the college. Clarke told she met him earlier that year and praised on his mention of "fondness for Wolfson and his commitment to our shared vision of opportunity for all".
King Charles III congratulated Tharman on his inauguration via Twitter, saying that "Singapore is a strategic partner" and would look forward to work with him to continue their relationship.
: United States Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller congratulated Tharman, and stated that the Department will be looking forward to working with him in further strengthening the relationship between Singapore and the United States. He also thanked outgoing President Halimah Yacob for her contributions.
: President Võ Văn Thưởng mailed a letter congratulating Tharman on his inauguration on 14 September.
Analysis
Pre-Nomination Day
On 14 August TODAY interviewed about 15 first-time Presidential Election voters, age range between 21 and 33 about their knowledge about the elected presidency. Few had little knowledge or interest in politics to a handful who understand the topic.
The following day, TODAY and CNA conducted another survey of 1,500 first-time voters where a vast majority of them understood most of the Presidential roles. The role of being a symbolic figure and as a diplomat was identified by about 95% of them, followed by community and consultation of Council of Presidential Advisors at 91%, and safeguarding past reserves at 88.4%. The role where the elected President does not take orders from Parliament had the least understanding, clocking at 36.1%.
TODAY and CNA also conducted another survey about the relationship between Parliament and the President, where some knew that the elected President generally takes instructions from the Cabinet and not take instructions from himself. Analysts revealed that most first-time voters with a poor understanding of the election may imply that they have little to no interest in politics. Former Member of Parliament Inderjit Singh hinted that these first-timers may be "swayed by populist manifestos of some candidates without having the opportunity to verify facts". Kantar Public analyst Dr Leong Chan-Hoong noted significant changes in democracy and educated Singaporeans in mind, and that the young voters may not be apparent to such a demographic.
On Nomination Day
When candidates were confirmed on 18 August, many political analysts predicted that Tharman Shanmugaratnam would win and cited the slate of candidates are "very different" because two races are competing. Institute of Policy Studies Senior Researcher Gillian Koh suggested how the voters would find it difficult to resist Tharman's "unparalleled international standing". Law lecturer at Singapore Management University, Associate Professor Eugene Tan predicted that the election would "assume his victory is a foregone conclusion" and should not be taken for granted if he was elected. Eugene Tan also praised that the three candidates had possessed strategic decisions in terms of the management of large funds and their respective reputations.
Some analysts had different views in regarding George Goh's ineligibility to run for the presidency. Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore was surprised that Goh was ineligible. To him, Goh can bring something different and unique to the table due to his private sector experience. It will give voters an additional choice to vote for. Eugene Tan agreed with Goh being ineligible, highlighting the relationship of one to many companies running with a shareholder equity of S$500 million is different. To him, one S$500 million company is different from running five hundred S$1 million companies. Therefore, he felt that the Presidential Elections Committee's decision was understandable.
During campaigning period
On 27 August, National University of Singapore Sociologist Ern Ser Tan noted on LinkedIn that there was an "undercurrent" with the election turning between current political order and regime change, with the likelihood of political transformation. He added that with Tan Kin Lian's involvement with Tan Cheng Bock and Tan Jee Say, the election has become clearly defined by the differences between the political orders of the ruling government and the opposition. NUS Arts and Social Science Lecturer Rebecca Grace Tan reported to have referred the term 'Independent' to that of the People's Action Party and that Tharman's decisive win wasn't apparent that non-partisanship was the primary deciding factor for many voters; Tan's opposition support brought further doubts of being non-partisan has also become clear.
In light of the "One vote, Three presidents?" slogan which surfaced on 28 August, political observers began to query Tan Kin Lian about the assertion that he is an "independent candidate". Eugene Tan commented that "It effectively asserts that if Tan (Kin Lian) wins, he will attempt to transform the presidency into a partisan institution" and further cited that a non-partisan president "must be above the political fray". Eugene Tan believed that party endorsements or endorsements by politicians can be beholden to the opposition politicians and ruin the presidency.
School of Social Sciences at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) assistant professor Walid Jumblatt Abdullah analyst that this move meant Tan Kin Lian was attempting to position himself as the "ultimate anti-establishment candidate". Dr Felix Tan, another lecturer at NTU, said voting for Tan would suggest voting for oppositions, which defies the purpose of being non-partisan, and that Tan's smear campaigning brought doubt on being worth to stand as a candidate. He also stressed that the relationship between General elections and Presidential elections is "conflated" and can affect democracy.
In a radio interview by MONEY FM 89.3 on a show Breakfast with Lynlee Foo and Ryan Huang on 30 August, Eugene Tan praised the widespread usage of social media to communicate in the election.
After release of election results
When the sample counts were released on 2 September, political analysts suggested that Tharman's personal charisma and past track record and experience, including his constituency of Jurong GRC being the best-performing constituency for two consecutive elections in 2015 and 2020, may have attributed to a landslide victory, as opposed to Ng's lack of public exposure and Tan's previous controversies, in which Eugene Tan cited in the CNA Polling Day results special was a "mind-boggling" result. He also highlighted Tan and his relationship with opposition parties, stating that he had "too (many) oppositional forces going on (in) his candidacy". In addition, Tan's campaign lacked certain accuracies which Eugene Tan commented as "misogynist, racist, (and) even nativist" which a majority of Singaporeans overwhelmingly rejected.
Eugene Tan also noted that the slight decline in turnout and an increase of spoilt votes meant that the election "generally do not make much of a difference" and was an effort for a "protest vote". He added that "the drop would be rather significant as this would signal that there might still be those who have some concerns with how the Presidential Election was run". During the 2011 presidential election, the turnout rate was 94.80% (of which 1.79% or 37,849 votes were rejected), while during the 2023 presidential election, the turnout rate was 93.41% (of which 1.98% or 50,152 votes were rejected).
Reactions from other political analysts to the election results varied, such as NTU political analyst Dr Felix Tan, citing that it was "rather unexpected and it's quite a surprise", and emphasised that "establishment versus anti-establishment" might have attributed to the anticlimactic result; NUS Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian criticised the result, stating that what Tharman gotten was at a huge advantage against "two weak opponents" and felt that the result was meant electing "strong candidates like everyone else". Chong also highlighted that the short campaigning period of just nine days, as well as Tan "negative spillover effect" towards loyal opposition supporters, have contributed to both Tan's and Ng's respective decisive defeats.
Following the election, Dr Gillian Koh referenced that the landslide was the result of the "Tharman effect", a term which was coined during the 45th St. Gallen Symposium in 2015 where Tharman was one of the participants. Tharman's campaign was met with acclamation from several analysts. Eugene Tan pointed out that in Tharman's line, "race is never absent, but it is not the only factor", would see it as an evolution of our nation and praised that the voters would vote for his merits of personal qualities and track record, and praised the PAP government on promoting "multiracial meritocracy". In another interview to the Mothership, Eugene Tan mentioned that "Singaporean voters are sophisticated" and told that they have treated the presidential election as it is and not "a proxy general election or a referendum on the People's Action Party (PAP)"; in another question on how will the result be in respect to the next Singaporean general election, he also warned that the PAP should not treat this result as the "ground being sweet", reminding that parliamentary elections are different as they are elections between parties rather than individuals.
Dr Leong also praised Singaporeans on the results, agreeing that they have voted "about trust of the candidate", over certain doubts and past issues pertaining to the scandals and resignations from the PAP government prior to the election. However, Ng's mention of the "ownself check ownself system" which had been borrowed from opposition parties – specifically Pritam Singh of the Workers' Party (WP) who first coined the term back in 2011 – also brought concerns citing it was "very difficult for someone to set up the system to question the system". Analysts implied that voters should also understand the importance of the authority of the institution of a President, in addition to the "bread-and-butter issues".
Singapore Management University's Lee Kong Chian Visiting Professor, and former Nominated Member of Parliament and Legal Adviser to the President and Council of Presidential Advisers Walter Woon mentioned that in an election like this, the first-past-the-post system only really works when there are two contenders, and told that no-contest elections are bad, but too many contenders could also be undesirable to the system. He also told that party politics are inevitable but they are not necessarily decisive, and reminded that certain pundits who could predict the trend of Tharman's clear mandate should "take nothing for granted", and that the victory was an unusual one for a multi-cornered contest, which hints a possibility that there is another establishment candidate who will be able to repeat this feat against a more formidable opponent in future presidential elections.
In a podcast according to journalists of the The Straits Times on 4 September, a "contextualized" traditional campaigning have still became efficient and that voters must be prepared to adapt to such scenarios. In another podcast between ST's multimedia correspondent Hairianto Diman and deputy news editor Grace Ho, she also mentioned that the election would see as an election on who would represent in a global-level and the generation changes ahead for the government.
In a commentary published on CNA's website, former newspaper editor Han Fook Kwang said the election results are politically significant, as the large margin of victory Tharman enjoyed undermines a claim previously made by members of the Singaporean Government that older Singaporeans are not ready to accept a non-Chinese as Prime Minister. The results were also seen as undermining an argument for a PAP race-related policy that culminated in the enactment of the hiatus-triggered model for presidential elections (in the case for 2017), where candidacies in certain presidential elections are reserved for people of a certain minority race in Singapore.
In another article posted by mothership, editor Sulaiman Daud commented that Tharman's high probability of winning does not make this election as "a charade", but cited that Tharman's jargons of "hard carry" and "October Surprise" were part of how it contributed to his decisive win; he also weigh other factors, such as the competition between the other two rivals or how Singaporeans want its next President. Another editor, Tan Min-Wei, also praised on the contests and how the election went ahead smoothly, citing a quote from a 1999 American political drama The West Wing that "decisions are made by those who show up". Republic Polytechnic chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Economic Development Innovations Abel Ang commented that people like Tharman believed that people with a lack of common experience is "unhealthy for Singapore", and the life of the haves is increasingly looking different from those who have-not. He also brought forward a Sesame Street song "The People In Your Neighborhood", one of his favourite songs, as a reference to unity.
Notes
References
External links
Report of the Singapore Presidential Election 2023 by CNA
Singapore
Presidential election
2023