Singaporean presidential election, 2011
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The Singaporean presidential election of 2011 was the fourth Singaporean presidential election, held on 27 August 2011. Nomination Day for eligible candidates was held on 17 August 2011.S.R. Nathan, the previous President of Singapore, stepped down on 31 August 2011 when his term drew to a close. He could have sought re-election, as there is no term limit, but he declined to do so.
Four candidates were issued certificates of eligibility by Singapore's Presidential Elections Committee, and all four were nominated on Nomination Day. This was the first contested election since the 1993 election and the first presidential race with more than two candidates in Singaporean history. With 2,153,014 local votes and 3,375 overseas votes cast, this was also the biggest democratic exercise in Singapore to date.
All four eligible candidates are Chinese Singaporeans, and by coincidence, all have the surname of Tan. This meant that by Nomination Day, it was certain that Singapore's next president will be named "President Tan", and that Singapore would have a president of Chinese heritage, for the first time since Ong Teng Cheong stepped down from the Presidency in 1999.
The election was a close contest, with the winner Tony Tan winning by 0.35%.
The president is the head of state of Singapore. Following the Westminster system, the position is largely ceremonial, but enjoys several reserve powers including withholding presidential assent on supply bills and changing or revoking civil service appointments. The current system of holding elections for the Presidency began with the 1993 election. Before then, the president was selected by Parliament.
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