Singapore presidential poll: counting begins in vote viewed as test of PAP support

Singaporeans voted on Friday to decide a three-way presidential election that some observers said could prove to be a bellwether on support for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) following its rare spate of internal scandals.

Vote counting begins

The Elections Department said vote counting would begin after the end of the polling period. As was the case in 2020’s legislative election, mechanical counting machines – similar to those used to count and handle banknotes – will be used to raise the efficiency of the counting process.

The department said more than 2.3 million people, or 85 per cent of eligible voters, had cast their votes by 5pm.

The department is expected to release a sample count between 10pm and 11pm, that could offer an early indication of the election outcome.

A sample of 100 votes is taken from each of the 1,364 polling stations for the early count, and the department has cautioned that the final result could be different.