The 66-year-old president-elect won 70.4 percent of the 2.48 million votes
Singapore:
Singapore’s outgoing President Halimah Yacob on Wednesday extended her best wishes to Indian-origin President Tharman Shanmugaratnam in her final speech as holder of the city-state’s highest but non-political post.
Singapore-born economist Tharman will be sworn in as the city-state’s ninth president on Thursday, days after he was overwhelmingly elected as the country’s ninth head of state.
The 66-year-old president-elect won 70.4 percent of the 2.48 million votes cast by voters on September 1, while his Chinese-origin rivals Ng Kok Song and Tan Kin Lian won 15.72 percent and 13.88 respectively. percent received.
On Wednesday, 69-year-old Halimah’s six-year term as president came to an end.
“A new president will be sworn in tomorrow,” she said at her farewell reception at the Istana (presidential palace), according to Channel News Asia.
“I wish Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam all the best in discharging his duties,” she added.
Halimah, who is also Singapore’s first female president, said she was humbled that the people of Singapore had placed their trust in her as their president.
She added that this unwavering support fueled her determination to serve every day of her six-year term.
Looking back, Halimah said she had a good relationship with the government. One that was “based on mutual trust, respect and a clear understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities.” The farewell reception was attended by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Tharman, among others.
Tharman, who spent his life serving Singapore in public service, was overwhelmingly supported by the city-state’s predominantly Chinese society.
Before being elected president, Tharman served as senior minister from 2019 to 2023, as coordinating minister for social policy from 2015 to 2023, and as chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore from 2011 to 2023. From May he was also Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore. 2011 to May 2019.
He is also co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, together with Ngozi Owonjo-Iweala, Mariana Mazzucato and Johan Rockstrom.
Tharman is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum (WEF). He is also a member of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, which will make recommendations on effective multilateralism for the 2024 UN Summit of the Future.
In the past it has had two presidents of Indian origin.
Sellapan Ramanathan, popularly known as SR Nathan, a Singaporean politician and civil servant of Tamil descent, served as President of Singapore. In 2009, Nathan defeated Benjamin Sheares to become Singapore’s longest-serving president.
Chengara Veetil Devan Nair, better known as Devan Nair, served as Singapore’s third president from 1981 until his resignation in 1985. Born in 1923 in Malacca, Malaysia, Nair was the son of a rubber plantation clerk who was originally from Thalassery, Kerala. .
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