Indian-Origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam Becomes President of Singapore

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the former Singapore deputy prime minister of Indian-origin was elected president of the city-state on Friday.

It was Singapore’s first contested vote for the largely ceremonial position in more than a decade. The Singapore Elections Department declared the 66-year-old economist as the winner as he secured 70.4 percent votes.

Mr Shanmugaratnam replaces incumbent Halimah Yacob who ran unopposed for her six-year term in 2017.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s win is a boost for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). Shanmugaratnam, also a former finance minister, was a long-time PAP stalwart before he resigned to run for the non-partisan position of president.