BANGKOK — Singapore will get a new president on Wednesday, but she will not be elected.

Halimah Yacob, 63, a former speaker of Parliament, will become the country’s first female president and the first in five decades to come from the Malay ethnicity when she is sworn in on Wednesday.

But what could have been a notable milestone for Singapore’s democracy is instead being publicly questioned as a rigged process, and her legitimacy is already coming under fire.

While Singapore’s Constitution does, in fact, provide for voters to elect their president, the eligibility requirements to stand for election were drawn so narrowly that only Ms. Halimah made the cut.

A Constitutional Commission, established by the prime minister, set the criteria, which were approved by Parliament. On Monday, Ms. Halimah was certified as the only eligible candidate, and since she has no opponent, there will be no election.</s>SINGAPORE: Madam Halimah Yacob has been named President-elect and will be sworn in on Thursday (Sep 14) as Singapore's eighth President and its first female head of state.



She was the only one of three prospective candidates to receive a certificate of eligibility for this year's Presidential Election, which was reserved for the Malay community. Two other presidential hopefuls, Mr Mohamed Salleh Marican and Mr Farid Khan, had their applications to stand for the election turned down on Monday as both did not meet a requirement for private-sector candidates to helm companies with at least S$500 million in shareholders' equity.

The 63-year-old will be Singapore's first female President and the first Malay head of state in more than 47 years, breaking barriers yet again after being elected as the first female Speaker of Parliament in 2013.

The youngest of five children, Mdm Halimah was just eight years old when her father, a watchman, died. Her mother became the sole breadwinner, helping out at a food stall before dawn till late at night.

"From the age of 10, my hours outside of school were spent being my mother's assistant: cleaning, washing, clearing tables and serving customers, and I am a better person for it," Mdm Halimah wrote in her bio on her website. "I have experienced poverty firsthand and know how debilitating it can be as you struggle to survive, to put food on the table and also grapple with the uncertainty of the future on a daily basis. It limits your choices but also tempers your determination to succeed."



In Secondary 2, she was nearly kicked out of Singapore Chinese Girls' School for missing too many classes.

“That was one of the worst moments of my life. But I told myself, ‘Stop wallowing in self-pity, pick yourself up and move on,'" Mdm Halimah told Channel NewsAsia in an interview last month.



She later went on to attend Tanjong Katong Girls’ School and graduated from the University of Singapore with a law degree, subsequently obtaining her Master of Laws at the National University of Singapore.

Her career began in 1978 with the National Trades Union Congress, where she served in various roles for the next three decades, eventually rising to become the labour movement's deputy secretary-general.

She entered politics at the urging of then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in 2001, and was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for the Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC). Ten years later, she was given the portfolio of Minister of State for the then-Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Prior to announcing her intention to run as President last month, Mdm Halimah was serving as both Speaker of Parliament and MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC - both roles she has since relinquished.

Over the years, she has advocated for women’s rights, spoke up on senior citizens and mental health issues, and served as patron to associations such as Club HEAL and PPIS (Singapore Muslim Women's Association).

The decision to run for the highest office of the land did not come easy: The mother of five told Channel NewsAsia her children initially had reservations about being in the public eye.

However, they and her husband - her university sweetheart Mohamed Abdullah - gave their support after some discussion.

Since her bid for presidency was made known, Mdm Halimah has repeatedly denied allegations that she may lack independence due to her close ties to the People’s Action Party.

"It is a gross disservice ... even (among) those who continue to hold party colours, if they put the interest of people behind party colours," she said at a press conference last month, citing times when she disagreed with the Government both as a trade unionist and as an MP.

She also said on Monday that her commitment to serve Singaporeans was not affected by the fact that there is no election. "I promise to do the best that I can to serve the people of Singapore and that doesn't change whether there is an election or no election ... My passion and commitment to serve the people of Singapore remains the same."

Mdm Halimah has said that as President, she hopes Singaporeans will work together with her to build a stronger Singapore. One of the President's roles is to act as a unifying force, she said.

"The process may be a reserved election but the President is for everyone, for all communities – regardless of race and religion."</s>Former speaker of Singapore's parliament, Halimah Yacob, arrives to submit her presidential nomination papers at the nomination centre in Singapore September 13, 2017. — Reuters pic SINGAPORE, Sept 13 — Halimah Yacob, a former speaker of parliament, was declared elected as Singapore’s first woman president today, after the returning officer announced she was the sole candidate to qualify for the contest.

Aiming to strengthen a sense of inclusivity in the multicultural city-state, Singapore had decreed the presidency, a largely ceremonial post, would be reserved for candidates from the minority Malay community this time.

“Although this is a reserved election, I’m not a reserved president,” Halimah said in a speech at the elections department office.

Halimah’s experience as house speaker automatically qualified her under the nomination rules.

Of the four other applicants, two were not Malays and two were not given certificates of eligibility, the elections department said earlier this week.

The last Malay to hold the presidency was Yusof Ishak, whose image adorns the country’s banknotes.

Yusof was president between 1965 and 1970, the first years of Singapore’s independence following a short-lived union with neighbouring Malaysia, but executive power lay with Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s first prime minister.

The separation of Singapore from Malaysia gave ethnic Malays a clear majority in Malaysia, while ethnic Chinese formed the majority in independent Singapore — Reuters</s>SINGAPORE, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Halimah Yacob, a former speaker of parliament, was declared elected as Singapore's first woman president on Wednesday, after the returning officer announced she was the sole candidate to qualify for the contest.

Aiming to strengthen a sense of inclusivity in the multicultural city-state, Singapore had decreed the presidency, a largely ceremonial post, would be reserved for candidates from the minority Malay community this time.

"Although this is a reserved election, I'm not a reserved president," Halimah said in a speech at the elections department office. "I'm a president for everyone."

Halimah's experience as house speaker automatically qualified her under the nomination rules.

Of the four other applicants, two were not Malays and two were not given certificates of eligibility, the elections department said earlier this week.

The last Malay to hold the presidency was Yusof Ishak, whose image adorns the country's banknotes.

Yusof was president between 1965 and 1970, the first years of Singapore's independence following a short-lived union with neighbouring Malaysia, but executive power lay with Lee Kuan Yew, the country's first prime minister.

The separation of Singapore from Malaysia gave ethnic Malays a clear majority in Malaysia, while ethnic Chinese formed the majority in independent Singapore. (Reporting by Fathin Ungku; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan & Simon Cameron-Moore)</s>Former speaker of parliament, Halimah Yacob on Wednesday emerged as Singapore ’s eighth president after a “walkover” election that saw no other contenders run for the position.

Yacob, 63, was the only candidate deemed eligible to run in the country’s Elections Department after the other two contenders, Salleh Marican and Farid Khan, were both denied eligibility, having fallen short of a constitutional rule that required any candidate from the private sector to have led a company with shareholder equity of at least 500 million Singapore dollars (372 million dollars).

Yacob, broke the record as first woman to occupy president’s office and Singapore’s first Malay president in 47 years.

Halimah in a speech at the Elections Department office said:

“Although this is a reserved election, I’m not a reserved president.

“I am a president for everyone, regardless of race, language, religion or creed.

“A proud moment for Singapore, for multiculturalism and multi-racialism.”

Yacob is expected to be sworn into office on Thursday.

The president, however, holds ceremonial powers as executive powers lies in the hands of the Prime Minister or members of the cabinet.</s>Former speaker of Singapore's parliament, Halimah Yacob, arrives at the Elections Department after she was given the certificate of eligibility to contest the election by the Presidential Elections Committee in Singapore September 11, 2017. Source: Reuters/Edgar Su

SINGAPORE named its first female President on Monday following a controversial election campaign that ended without a single vote being cast after all other contenders were disqualified. The move has split public opinion and raised questions over the ruling party’s dominance in the notoriously strict state.

Halimah Yacob is set to be Singapore’s first Malay president in more than 47 years, after the Elections Department named her as the only individual qualified for the inaugural reserved Presidential Election.

The two other presidential hopefuls, Mohamed Salleh Marican and Farid Khan, had their applications to stand for the election turned down as both did not meet a requirement for private-sector candidates to helm companies with at least S$500 million (US$372 million) in shareholders’ equity.

SEE ALSO: Singapore: Rare protest calls for independent probe into Prime Minister Lee



In the interests of cultural unity and equal racial representation, the presidential race was reserved only for candidates of ethnic Malay heritage. This mechanism to safeguard representation of minority racial groups was adopted last year after the country’s Constitutional Commission proposed a hiatus-triggered model.

In the new system, if a member of any racial group has not occupied the president’s office after five continuous terms, the next presidential election will be reserved for a candidate from that racial group.

Singaporeans were set to go to the polls at the end of next week but will no longer get the chance due to Halimah’s victory by default. The move has split opinion in the city state.

While some are happy to see Halimah victorious, others have voiced concern over her close affiliation to the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) – of whom she was a loyal member until recently (In Singapore, the president cannot be part of a political party at the time of their nomination) – the lack of a popular vote, and questions of her race.

While the role of president is largely ceremonial, with the Prime Minister being head of government, they do have the power to veto some of the government’s decisions, such as fiscal matters and key appointments in the public service.

Halimah will start her term on Thursday amid a sea of controversy over the election-that-never-was. Here’s what you need to know about the lady of the moment and the debate surrounding her nomination.

Growing from meagre beginnings as the daughter of a single-mother who ran a food stall to support her family, the 63-year-old spent her early years cleaning, washing, clearing tables and serving customers, according to the bio on her official website.

After being kicked out of school for missing too many classes, Halimah decided to “stop wallowing in self-pity” and move on. And that’s exactly what she did, graduating from Tanjong Katong Girls’ School and earning a law degree from the University of Singapore. She subsequently went on to be conferred a Master of Laws at the National University of Singapore.

Her career since has been one of breaking barriers.

On the urging of then-prime minister Goh Chok Tong, Halimah entered politics in 2001 with a successful bid for Member of Parliament (MP) for the Jurong Constituency, becoming the first female Malay MP in 45 years.

SEE ALSO: Singapore: New rules to suppress activism? Group demands answers as Pink Dot nears



She was the first Singaporean to be elected to the governing body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) where she served as a member between 1999 and 2011.

Following her departure from the ILO, she was given the portfolio of Minister of State for the then-Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Her latest role as president is not the first glass-ceiling she has broken. In 2013, she became the first woman to be elected the Speaker of the House.

Throughout her public life, Halimah has continued to advocate for women’s rights, champion the causes of workers and unions, and raise awareness of issues affecting senior citizens. She has also served as patron to associations such as mental health group Club HEAL and PPIS (Singapore Muslim Women’s Association).

Public opinion on Halimah’s nomination has been split. With many lauding the milestone of a first female president, others have accused the PAP of engineering her succession for political gain and have also raised issues of her race as she is reported to have had an Indian father.

Playwright Alfian Sa’at accused the government of “rigging the system” and labelled the establishment a “sham democracy”, pointing out that while the elected president is intended to provide a check on the government, “all 4 Elected Presidents so far are either ex-PAP ministers … or from the Government’s ranks.”

Many have labelled the whole election process a charade, with popular opinion believing that PAP changed the ground rules by mandating that the next president must be Malay. Some see this as an attempt to prevent former presidential candidate Tan Cheng Bock from challenging the position after he very nearly beat PAP stalwart Tony Tan in 2011.

The hashtag #NotMyPresident started trending in Singapore following the announcement of Halimah’s victory.

But there were some citizens who rejoiced in their first female president.

Analysts think the move could strengthen the position of the opposition who can now use Halimah’s election against the ruling PAP.

“The only beneficiaries from this reserved presidential election are Halimah Yacob and her team, as well as Singapore’s opposition, which now has a new line of attack against the PAP. The rest of Singapore has suffered,” Sudhir Vadaketh, a Singapore author and commentator, told CNN.

Leader of the opposition, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan called it a “sad day for Singapore”, echoing concerns that the election criteria had been revised to pave the way for the walkover.

A statement released by the SDP was damning in its evaluation.

“The rule of law has been mercilessly mocked and denigrated,” the statement read. “The contempt the PAP has shown for our constitution and our flag which symbolises the ideals of democracy, unity and progress must be roundly condemned.

“It is bad enough that the PAP has manipulated the system to get one if its own to become the president. That it has dangerously played the race card and divided the people to achieve this must be of grave concern to all Singaporeans.”</s>Singapore (CNN) Singaporeans were meant to go to the polls at the end of next week to vote for a new president, but they'll no longer have the chance, with only one candidate qualifying for the race.

Former Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob has emerged victorious by default, after other presidential hopefuls fell foul of new rules.

"I can only say that I promise to do the best that I can to serve the people of Singapore and that doesn't change whether there is an election or no election," she told reporters Monday.

What should be a moment of celebration -- Halimah will be Singapore's first female president -- has proved contentious for several reasons and appears at odds with Singapore's reputation as a technocratic and efficient city state.

While the office of president is largely a ceremonial role in Singapore, he or she has power to veto some of the government's decisions, for example in fiscal matters that touch on the country's reserves, or key appointments in the public service.

"The only beneficiaries from this reserved presidential election are Halimah Yacob and her team, as well as Singapore's opposition, which now has a new line of attack against the PAP (People's Action Party). The rest of Singapore has suffered," Sudhir Vadaketh, a Singapore author and commentator, told CNN. Halimah is loyal member of the PAP, which dominates Singaporean government.

"All Singaporeans are unhappy that meritocracy and electoral fairness, core Singaporean values, have been eroded to fulfill perceived political goals."

It's a radical policy that would likely prove divisive elsewhere but it's one the Southeast Asian nation said was necessary to ensure better representation among the country's three main races: Chinese, Indian and Malay.

"It shows we don't only talk about multi-racialism, but we talk about it in the context of meritocracy or opportunities for everyone, and we actually practice it," Halimah told The Straits Times newspaper, before declaring her intention to contest the election.

The new rules also set stricter criteria on the background of candidates. For example, those from the private sector are required to be a chief executive of a company, with at least $370 million in shareholders' equity.

The two other Malay presidential hopefuls -- businessmen Salleh Marican and Farid Khan -- failed to gain Certificates of Eligibility from the Presidential Elections Committee on these grounds, although the Presidential Elections Committee could have exercised its discretion to allow them to run for the office.

Critics charge that the new rules are a way for the government to stage-manage the election and prevent opponents from running.

In August, Singapore's appeal court ruled against a legal challenge to the new system by ruling party lawmaker turned critic, Tan Cheng Bock. Tan had narrowly lost the previous presidential election in 2011 to Tony Tan, a former deputy prime minister widely recognized as the government-favored candidate, and planned to run again.

Singapore's population is 74% Chinese, 13% Malay, 9% Indian and 3.2% are the ambiguously named "Others."

Specifically, the amendment states that an election will be reserved for candidates from a particular racial group if the previous five elections have not produced a president from that racial group. In Singapore, it's dubbed a "hiatus-triggered model."

Singapore hasn't had a Malay president since the country's first President Yusof Ishak, who served as head of state from 1965 to 1970. Subsequent presidents have been from the Eurasian, Chinese and Indian communities.

The election has also triggered debate on who is Malay and raised questions over how an individual's race can be determined.

Candidates were required to be assessed by a five-member community panel to certify their race as Malay as part of the qualifying criteria.

Moreover, Salleh Marican also has an Indian father, while Farid Khan's identity card lists his race as "Pakistani," the government-controlled Straits Times reported

What's more, critics point out that, if the goal really was to improve racial representation and justice, more meaningful measures could be adopted.

The Chinese form the majority in Singapore and often dominate in positions of power and influence.

"While reserving the presidential elections for only Malays is a highly symbolic gesture, there is a need to do more for concrete issues faced by the Malay community such as discrimination, lack of social mobility and relative poverty," lawyer Fadli Fawzi told CNN.

"I think that it is more important to focus on removing barriers and improving the lot of the man on the street rather than reserving slots for one or two individuals."

Speaking at a forum on Friday, Chan Chun Sing, a minister in the Prime Minister's Office, acknowledged the unpopularity of the new system, saying that it would be a "hard journey" to convince Singaporeans that the change was necessary.

He denied accusations that the amendments were made for political gain.

"We are prepared to pay the political price, because we think the future of our country is much more important than any political capital that we may have," he said.</s>SINGAPORE (AP) - Singapore is likely to have its first female president, with only one candidate qualifying for an election limited to members of the minority Malay community.

The Elections Department said Monday that former Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob was the only one of five hopefuls who qualified. It said the others had not satisfied stringent criteria, such as having held key public positions or running a company with at least 500 million Singapore dollars ($370 million) in equity.

Yacob, a former member of the ruling People's Action Party, entered politics in 2001. She won four parliamentary elections before being chosen speaker. She resigned from the party last month.

Halimah Yacob, second from left, leaves the Elections Department on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, in Singapore. The Elections Department announced that Yacob, a former People's Action Party politician, will be declared Singapore's first female president on Wednesday, Sept. 13, as the two other potential candidates fell short of the qualification criteria. (Nuria Ling/TODAY via AP)

Yacob is expected to be named Singapore's eighth president on Wednesday without a vote. She is to take office at a later date.

FILE - In this Thursday, May 7, 2015, file photo, Halimah Yacob arrives at the Cambodian National Assembly building during a welcome meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Elections Department announced that Yacob, a former People's Action Party politician, will be declared Singapore's first female president on Wednesday, Sept. 13, as the two other potential candidates fell short of the qualification criteria. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Halimah Yacob, center, leaves the Elections Department on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, in Singapore. The Elections Department announced that Yacob, a former People's Action Party politician, will be declared Singapore's first female president on Wednesday, Sept. 13, as the two other potential candidates fell short of the qualification criteria. (Nuria Ling/ TODAY via AP)

Halimah Yacob, center, speaks to reporters as she leaves the Elections Department on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, in Singapore. The Elections Department announced that Yacob, a former People's Action Party politician, will be declared Singapore's first female president on Wednesday, Sept. 13, as the two other potential candidates fell short of the qualification criteria. (Nuria Ling/TODAY via AP)</s>Halimah Yacob, an establishment stalwart, was named Singapore's first female president today but the milestone was overshadowed by criticism that her selection was undemocratic as she was handed the job without voting.

 

 Halimah Yacob, a former speaker of parliament from the Muslim Malay minority, did not have to face an election for the largely ceremonial post originally due this month after authorities decided her rivals did not meet strict eligibility criteria.

 

 It was not the first time in the affluent city-state -- which is tightly controlled and has been ruled by the same party for decades -- that the government has disqualified candidates for the presidency, making an election unnecessary.

 

 But there was already unease about the process as it was the first time that the presidency had been reserved for a particular ethnic group, in this case the Malay community, and the decision to hand her the job without a vote added to anger.

 

 Social media was abuzz with criticism as Halimah, a bespectacled 63-year-old who wears a headscarf, was formally announced as the president-elect, with Facebook user Pat Eng writing: "Elected without an election. What a joke."

 

 "I will call her President Select from now on," said Joel Kong on the networking site, while some posts were marked with the hashtag NotMyPresident -- echoing the message used by upset Americans after the election of President Donald Trump.

 

 Halimah, a member of parliament for the ruling People's Action Party for nearly two decades before resigning to contest the presidency, tackled the doubts about the selection process in a speech to a cheering crowd after she was named president-elect.

 

 "I'm a president for everyone. Although there's no election, my commitment to serve you remains the same," she said.

 

 Authorities had decided to allow only candidates from the Malay community to put themselves forward for the presidency, a bid to foster harmony in the city-state of 5.5 million people which is dominated by ethnic Chinese.

 

 Singapore's head of state has limited powers, including vetoing senior official appointments, but an establishment figure has always held the role and there are rarely tensions with the government</s>Singapore is likely to have its first female president, with only one candidate qualifying Monday for an election limited to members of the minority Malay community.

The Elections Department said only one of five hopefuls had qualified. It said the others had not satisfied stringent criteria, such as having held key public positions or running a company with at least 500 million Singapore dollars ($370 million) in equity.

It did not identify the candidate, but former Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob confirmed that she had qualified.

Yacob, a former member of the ruling People’s Action Party, entered politics in 2001. She won four parliamentary elections before being chosen speaker. She resigned from the party last month.

Yacob is expected to be named Singapore’s eighth president on Wednesday without a vote. She is to take office at a later date.

“I can only say that I promise to do the best that I can to serve the people of Singapore, and that doesn’t change whether there is an election or no election,” she said.

The presidency is largely a ceremonial position. Singapore’s Constitution allows the president to veto the use of the country’s reserves and some public appointments, but doesn’t give the post any executive authority.

Last year, lawmakers amended the constitution to include presidential elections limited to a particular race. This kicks in when a racial group has not held the presidency in five continuous terms, or 30 years.

The government has said that having a Malay hold office this time is important because the president plays a unifying role. Singapore’s last Malay president, Yusof Ishak, died in office in 1970.

The city-state has a population of 5.6 million. It is 74.3 per cent Chinese, 13.4 per cent Malay, 9.1 per cent Indian and 3.2 per cent others.

The rising threat of terrorism makes unity crucial, said outgoing President Tony Tan. “One of these days, an incident will happen. And when that happens, it’s very important to ensure we do not allow it to destroy our cohesion, or to have tensions between the various communities,” he was quoted as saying by The Straits Times newspaper.

“In that respect, reserving this next election for the Malays is appropriate — unfortunately, because of these circumstances around the world which Singapore is caught up in,” Tan said.

Tan, a former deputy prime minister, was elected in a tight race in 2011. He received 35 per cent of around 2.1 million votes.

Analysts said Singaporeans may take time to accept such reserved elections. The country’s first contested vote for president was held in 1993.

“It is not a surprise therefore that there is unfamiliarity with it, a questioning of whether any of it is needed, and a sense of ambivalence about having only candidates of one racial group contest in it,” said Gillian Koh, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

This story has been corrected to show that the Elections Department did not identify the qualifying candidate.
Halimah Yacob is elected as the first female president of Singapore as the sole candidate in the upcoming elections.