[1/5] Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam meets his supporters after early sample vote count results at the presidential election in Singapore September 1, 2023. Former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, won 70.4% of votes, the elections department said, to become Singapore's head of state. Analysts said the landslide victory for the candidate seen as closest to the establishment is a sign that Singaporeans generally still trust the ruling People's Action Party (PAP). The role of the president is largely ceremonial in Singapore, though the office is expected to ensure checks and balances on the government. This is Singapore's third presidential election since a 1991 act gave the public the right to choose and Tharman will be the country's ninth president overall.

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Persons: Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Edgar Su, Lee Hsien Loong, Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, Tharman, Lee, Mr Tharman, Chen Lin, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Saturday, Analysts, Action Party, Nanyang Technological University, PAP, Presidential Advisers, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights SINGAPORE