Singapore votes for new president

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans voted Saturday in the city-state's first contested presidential election in 18 years following a heated campaign marked by calls for stronger checks on the ruling party.

Polls opened at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) amid rain showers and will close at 8:00 pm. The winner is expected to be known within hours after voting centres close.

Three months after a parliamentary election eroded the dominance of the People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled since 1959, anti-government sentiment is still running high in the online forums that now shape political debate in Singapore.

Four candidates -- all of them formerly associated with the government or civil service during their careers -- are running as individuals in the non-partisan contest, and there are around 2.3 million eligible voters.