Singapore's former deputy prime minister Tony Tan, 71, was declared the city-state's newly elected president this evening after the government's preferred candidate had to overcome a stunning challenge by a political maverick, dpa reported. Widely perceived as the man to beat in the non-partisan election, Tan won 35.19 per cent of the votes in a ballot which was seen as a further test of support for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's People's Action Party (PAP). Following a recount of the votes due to a knife-edge fight, Tony Tan held a slight edge of 7,269 votes over Tan Cheng Bock, 71, a medical doctor and former PAP legislator, said the elections department. His closest rival ended up with 34.85 per cent of the votes, while two other presidential hopefuls went out of the race earlier.
