Google Doodle celebrates Singapore's first presidential elections in over a decade
Google Doodle on Friday celebrated Singapore's first presidential elections in over a decade with a special illustration. The elections to the largely ceremonious position are being viewed as a show of support for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) amidst a rising cost of living crisis and rare political scandals. The incumbent, Halimah Yacob, ran unopposed for her six-year term in 2017, but the election to replace her is a three-way contest between former deputy prime minister and finance minister in the PAP government, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and two political outsiders.
Another presidential candidate is 75-year-old former insurance executive Tan Kin Lian, who has received the backing of several opposition parties. The third candidate is the former chief investment officer of Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, GIC, Ng Kok Song. During the campaign, Tharman has been criticised for being a PAP insider.
At a forum this week, the former minister defended his association with the PAP. He said, (as quoted by Bloomberg), “All the senior people on the public track, they owe their positions to bosses who are political figures…Are they obligated to their bosses because of that? Not necessarily. It depends on the individual.
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