Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam elected Singapore President

Singapore, September 1

Tharman Shanmugaratnam (66), an Indian-origin Singapore-born economist, registered a landslide victory in Singapore’s presidential election on Friday, winning over 70% of the 2.48 million votes cast in the country’s first contested presidential poll since 2011. His Chinese-origin rivals Ng Kok Song and Tan Kin Lian received 15.72% and 13.88%, respectively, the Elections Department said.

Tharman has become Singapore’s third Indian-origin President. PM Lee Hsien Loong congratulated Tharman, who served as Singapore’s Deputy PM from 2011 to 2019, on winning the presidential election. “Singaporeans have chosen Tharman Shanmugaratnam to be our next President by a decisive margin. As head of state, he will represent us at home and abroad, and exercise custodial powers, including over the reserves and key appointments,” he said.

Lee noted that in Friday’s election, both voters and candidates showed a greater understanding of the roles and duties of the President, which bodes well for Singapore.

“I have every confidence that he will carry out his duties as President with distinction,” he said.