SINGAPORE : One-Man Show
The former deputy prime minister looks like a shoo-in as Singapore prepares to choose its first popularly elected president Saturday.
Ong Teng Cheong, the former deputy prime minister and labor union leader, has the support of the ruling People’s Action Party. His opponent, Chua Kim Yeow, a former accountant general and head of the post office bank, planned no campaign. He said he’s in the race only because he feels that a president should not be elected unopposed.
Previously, the president held a largely ceremonial post and was appointed by Parliament. But the constitution was amended to make the job elective and to grant the president veto power over the budget and security matters.
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