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CNN Report

steffychun

Alfrescian
Loyal
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/a...e.presidential.race/index.html?iref=allsearch

Singapore (CNN) -- In a country where electoral outcomes are for the most part a foregone conclusion, the race for Singapore's next president became a relative nail-biter. But in the end, Tony Tan -- a former deputy prime minister -- was declared the winner.

A recount was needed for the top two candidates -- Tony Tan and Tan Cheng Bok, a doctor and former member of Parliament - and the official winning margin was less than half a percent.

In the early morning hours Sunday President-elect Tan urged Singaporeans to put aside political affiliations, and pledged, "The presidency is above politics and we shall all build a better Singapore for everyone."

The recent general election in Singapore saw a significant drop in support for the PAP -- the party that has ruled Singapore since its independence in 1965.

Tiny Singapore is still an economic success story on the global stage but in recent years the average Singaporean has felt the financial squeeze of rising prices. The economic hardship of the man on the street here surfaced in May's election, and had brought more opposition voices to the political scene.

So while the job of president is nonpartisan, pundits here considered this election another referendum on the ruling party.

Though close second Tan Cheng Bok had served as a PAP member of Parliament for more than 25 years, he had declared "no more blank check" for the ruling party. He had described his competitor Tony Tan as too close to the ruling party, telling voters "the soup is changed but the ingredients remain the same," a translation of a Hokkien Chinese saying.

Tan, 71, who had received endorsements from multiple labor unions and an informal statement of support from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, had been referred to in local media as the odds-on favorite. He was also perceived as the closest to the ruling party -- having also served as defense minister and deputy chair of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, the country's sovereign wealth fund.

While Singapore's presidency is a largely ceremonial role, the job has several important functions including the power to veto key government positions and to tap the government's financial reserves.
 
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