New Singapore President Tharman rises above the fray despite a politically charged election

Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam meets his supporters after early sample vote count results at the presidential election in Singapore September 1, 2023. - Reuters

HOW do you elect someone to an apolitical office, without the election becoming politicised?

Going by this year’s presidential election, the answer, as it was in 2011, is “with great difficulty”.