Halimah Yacob declared as new President of Singapore

Halimah binti Yacob, the former Speaker of Parliament, has been declared the President-elect of Singapore, after her nomination papers were found to be in order. She will be Singapore’s first female President and the first Malay head of state in 47 years.
On September 13, Yacob was certified by the Presidential Elections Commission as the only eligible candidate, and since she has no opponent, there will be no election. Halimah will be sworn in as country’s 8th President at the Istana on September 14, 2017. The 2017 Presidential Election was reserved for candidates from the Malay community.
Under amendments to the Constitution that came into effect in June 2017, applicants had to show that they helmed a company with at least 500 million Singapore dollar in shareholders’ equity. Halimah meets the criteria set out for those in the public sector, having held office for at least three years as Speaker.