Former Singapore deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was elected president on Friday, September 1, for a six-year term, according to official results, in the city-state's first contested vote for the largely ceremonial position in over a decade.
The country's Elections Department declared the 66-year-old economist the winner over two rival candidates after securing 70.4% of the cast of ballots.
"I declare Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam as the candidate duly elected as the president of Singapore," said election officer Tan Meng Dui.
Shanmugaratnam replaces incumbent Halimah Yacob, the first female president in Singapore's history.
"I believe that it's a vote of confidence in Singapore. It's a vote of optimism for a future in which we can progress together," Shanmugaratnam said in a speech before the results were announced.
There are stringent requirements for the position, which formally oversees the city's accumulated financial reserves and holds the power to veto specific measures and approve anti-graft probes.
Observers said Shanmugaratnam's win boosted the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), which was widely perceived to favor his candidacy.
The party that has ruled Singapore continuously since 1959 has been hurt by a rare spate of political scandals ahead of the presidential vote.
Shanmugaratnam, also a former finance minister, was a long-time PAP stalwart before he resigned to run for the non-partisan position of president.
His independence had been questioned during the campaign because of his previous ties with the government.
Voting is compulsory for Singapore's more than 2.7 million eligible citizens.