On The Radar: Singapore's presidential race

Singapore will be voting for its next president on September 1. We bring you a quick rundown on what's happening.

 Primarily, the presidential role is a ceremonial one. The President is head of state – not head of government. 

They represent Singapore in an official diplomatic capacity, but they do have certain executive powers: they control the national reserves, make public service appointments, and grant pardons. 

Singapore last elected a president in 2017, when Halimah Yacob ran unopposed. She was the only candidate to qualify for presidency, due to eligibility requirements, including a then-rule allowing only people of Malay ethnicity to run. Yacob became the first woman to take office.

Requirements for the role are strict, although the ethnicity requirement has been struck for this year. Requirements include having served time as a civil servant, or served as a CE of a company with shareholders’ equity of at least S$500 million and a sizeable after-tax profit.

Last week, on August 22, three candidates were accepted as candidates. Voting will take place on September 1 – which automatically becomes a public holiday – leaving a short time for official campaigning. 

The three candidates are: 

Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Former deputy prime minister Tharman was first elected as a member of parliament back in 2001 with the People’s Action Party (PAP). He has also served as chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and deputy chair of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC).

He is widely seen as a frontrunner for the role. However, given his ties to the current ruling party, concerns have been raised about his perceived ability to remain free from bias.

Read more: ‘What You See Is What You Get’: Observations From a Weekend With Tharman

Ng Kok Song

Ng Kok Song is an entrepreneur and fund manager. He also served as the chief investment officer at sovereign wealth fund GIC and was the previous director of MAS – similar ties to his rival Tharman.

Read more: Ng Kok Song: The boy from a fishing village who wants to be a 'politically independent' President

Tan Kin Lian

This will not be Tan Kin Lian’s first tilt at presidency. The businessman first ran in the 2011 election, where he received 4.91 percent of the vote. However, he’s returned for another run.

His credentials include time as the Chairman of International Co-operative & Mutual Insurance Federation and CEO of NTUC Income.

Read more: Tan Kin Lian: From leaving school and supporting his family to representing 'ordinary people'

- Asia Media Centre