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Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Meet Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the super-important leader who became Singapore's President!

Images

Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the official opening of Yuan Ching Secondary School's new building, Singapore - 20100716

Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the official opening of Yuan Ching Secondary School's new building, Singapore - 20100716

openverse
Closing the Jobs Gap - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 - Tharman Shanmugaratnam 2
Tharman Shanmugaratnam WEF The New Economics of Water screenshot (2)
Tharman Shanmugaratnam Official photo 2023
Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana, 2026 08
Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the official opening of Yuan Ching Secondary School's new building, Singapore - 20100716 (cropped)
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 2026 01
Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the official opening of Yuan Ching Secondary School's new building, Singapore - 20100716-02
Tharman Shanmugaratnam WEF The New Economics of Water screenshot (1)
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana, 2026 02
Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana, 2026 01

Key Facts

Born
February 25, 1957.
Current Role
President of Singapore since 2023.
Won Election
September 2, 2023, with 70.4% of the vote.
Fun Fact
He is the first president of non-Chinese descent to win a contested election in Singapore.

Who is Tharman Shanmugaratnam?

Imagine a very important person who helps run a whole country! That's Tharman Shanmugaratnam. He was born a long, long time ago, on February 25, 1957.

He is now the President of Singapore, which is like being the captain of a big ship! He won a special election to become president in 2023. Before that, he had many important jobs, like helping with money and making sure people had good jobs and schools.

His Amazing Jobs!

Tharman has had so many cool jobs! He was a Senior Minister, which is like a super-senior helper to the leader. He also helped manage Singapore's money as the Chairman of the Monetary Authority.

Think of him as a money wizard! He was even a Deputy Prime Minister, which is like the second-in-command. He also worked as a Minister for Finance, making sure the country's piggy bank was full, and a Minister for Education, helping make schools great!

Winning the Big Race!

In 2023, Tharman decided to run for President. To do this, he had to leave his old jobs and his political team. The President's job is to be fair to everyone, so they don't work for just one team. He won the election with a HUGE number of votes, more than 70%! That's like winning a game with almost everyone cheering for you. He's the first president who isn't Chinese to win an election like this.

Why He's Special

Tharman Shanmugaratnam is special because he has worked in many important roles to help Singapore. He has been a Member of Parliament, which means he represented people in their local area. He was re-elected many times, showing people trusted him. His journey from different government roles to becoming President shows he is dedicated to serving his country and its people.

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Based on content from Wikipedia ยท Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0