full screenTharman Shanmugaratnam has been elected president of Singapore. Archive image. Photo: Luca Bruno/AP/TT
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was previously deputy prime minister of Singapore, was elected president on Friday, according to official figures.
The 66-year-old economist was declared the winner over two other candidates after securing 70.4 percent of the votes cast. He replaces incumbent President Halimah Yacob.
– It is a vote for optimism about a future that we can manage together, Shanmugaratnam said in a speech before the results were announced.
The president, whose position is nonpartisan, formally oversees the city’s pooled financial reserves and has the power to veto certain measures.