Singaporeans have cast their ballots in the country’s first contested presidential election in almost a decade.
The President, whose principal function is ceremonial, technically manages the city’s significant financial reserves and has the right to veto certain measures as well as approve anti-corruption investigations.
The People’s Action Party’s experienced minister and leading candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, who served as both Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Singapore, resigned from the PAP in June to run for president.
The election, which is the first to be held in more than a decade as a result of incumbent President Halimah Yacob’s decision not to compete for a second six-year term, is currently being led by Mr. Shanmugaratnam.
Tan Kin Lian, a 75-year-old former insurance executive who has received criticism for previous social media postings he made regarding women and Indians, is one of the other contenders.
Ng Kok Song, a former wealth fund investment officer is also a candidate in the contested election.
The candidates’ ethnicities in the multicultural but majority-Chinese city-state has been one of the issues too with some highlighting Mr Shanmugaratnam may become the first non-Chinese President to be elected by voters
