Four candidates were certified on Thursday for Singapore’s presidential election on August 27, setting the stage for the country’s first contested polls for its head of state in 18 years. Two potential bets were disqualified because they did not meet the stringent criteria for the presidency, including being chairman or chief executive of a company with a paid-up capital of at least Sg$100 million ($83 million).
The first and last time Singaporeans voted for their president was in 1993, when former deputy prime minister Ong Teng Cheong won. Before 1993 the president was selected by parliament.