Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam takes oath as President of Singapore
Indian-origin economist Tharman Shanmugaratnam was sworn in as the President of Singapore on Thursday. Tharman Shanmugaratnam became the ninth President of Singapore.
The swearing-in ceremony was organized at the 154-year-old palace Istana. Indian-origin Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon administered the oath of office to Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana. The Istana is the official residence and office of the President.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, cabinet members and many other dignitaries were present at the swearing-in ceremony held at Istana. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, replaced Halimah Yacob. Halimah Yacob was the first female President of Singapore and her term ended on 13 September.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who entered politics in 2001, secured the highest number of 70.4 percent votes in the presidential election held on September 1. In this election, he defeated Ng Kok Song and Tan Kin Lian. Ng Kok Song got 15.72 percent votes, while Tan Kin Lian got 13.88 percent votes.
Before joining politics, Tharman Shanmugaratnam was an economist and worked as a bureaucrat with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Apart from this, he has held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2019.
