SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's presidential election has gone into a recount as the votes won by the top two candidates, former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan and medical doctor Tan Cheng Bock, were too close to call.
"The difference is not more than 2 percent of the total number of valid votes cast," the Elections Department said in a statement. "The returning officer has allowed the recounting of all votes cast in Singapore."
State-owned television station Channel NewsAsia said Tony Tan, who is backed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, was marginally ahead of Tan Cheng Bock, a former ruling party lawmaker who however has clashed with government ministers over policies.
Investment adviser Tan Jee Say received around 25 percent, while the fourth candidate, former insurance executive Tan Kin Lian, clinched about 5 percent.
Whatever the outcome, the result will be seen as a major setback for Lee and his long-ruling People's Action Party (PAP), which saw its share of the popular vote fall to a record low of 60 percent during May parliamentary elections that saw the opposition make historic gains.
The PAP did not formally endorse Tony Tan although Lee had described him as a "unifying figure" who would bring honour and credit to Singapore.
Singapore's directly-elected president has historically performed mostly ceremonial duties. But the president wields veto powers that allow him to delay the appointment of people to senior government positions as well as in government entities such as the GIC sovereign wealth fund and state investor Temasek.
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