SINGAPORE’S former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was elected president yesterday, earning a landslide victory in the city-state’s first contested vote for the largely ceremonial position in more than a decade.

Singaporeans headed to the polls that were closely watched as an indication of support for the ruling party after a rare spate of scandals, but the longtime stalwart of the party won more than two-thirds of the vote over two rivals.