Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam will be sworn in as Singapore’s seventh president on Thursday evening at a ceremony to be held at the Istana.
Dr Tan, 71, will take his seat for the first time on the presidential chair, adorned with the presidential crest of a red-and-white shield emblazoned with a lion carrying a stalk of laurel.
He will take over the post from outgoing President S.R Nathan, 87, who ended his term on Aug 31 after serving as Singapore’s head of state for the last 12 years.
Dr Tan is elected as the president after winning 35.19 per cent of the votes cast in the four-cornered presidential election last month.
He led by a small margin of less than 2 percent against his closest opponent, former Member of Parliament Dr Tan Cheng Bock.
Dr Tan’s presidential term is likely to be closely watch as he is closely associated with the ruling People’s Action Party.
The soft spoken Tan pledged that his first task as Head of State is to reach out to all Singaporeans.
“The most immediate, urgent thing now… which I should do is to try to reach out to all Singaporeans to emphasise the fact that the president works for all citizens, not for people who are affiliated to any particular party,” he told a press conference after winning the presidential race.
— BERNAMA
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