Singapore Gives Nod to Three Candidates to Run for President

Low De Wei
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(Bloomberg) -- Singapore’s elections department said that three candidates will run for president in a vote on Sept. 1 after filing their nomination papers on Tuesday.

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Ng Kok Song, Tan Kin Lian and former deputy premier Tharman Shanmugaratnam will compete in the city-state’s first contested presidential election in over a decade. It’ll be just the third time since a constitutional amendment in 1991 transformed the post into a publicly elected one.

The candidates agreed to campaign “in a manner that is dignified, decorous and consistent with the president’s position as the head of state and the symbol of national unity,” the Elections Department said in a statement.

Ng, chairman of Avanda Investment Management, pledged to protect the national reserves if elected. The 75-year-old said he has what it takes to “uphold the integrity of public service appointments.”

Tharman, 66, said Singapore will face a “more difficult and challenging future,” and promised to use his decades of experience in government to see the country through.

Tan, a former CEO of insurer NTUC Income, said his candidacy for the post is “truly independent of the ruling government.” He, too, pledged to safeguard the reserves and uphold the integrity of the public service. Tan, 75, earlier defended concerns raised over his social media posts seen as objectifying women.

Six years ago, incumbent Halimah Yacob got the job in an uncontested exercise. She will not seek the office — a largely ceremonial role — for a second time.

--With assistance from Philip J. Heijmans and Natalie Choy.

(Updates with candidate remarks from fourth paragraph.)

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