Malay set to be Singapore's first woman president: Straits Times

Former Speaker of Singapore's Parliament Halimah Yacob has promised to do the best she can as President to serve the people of Singapore. She will also become the second Malay President after Singapore's first President Yusof Ishak.

SINGAPORE'S next presidential election is on track to be declared a walkover, as the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) announced on Monday that it has issued a certificate of eligibility (COE) to only one out of three applicants from the Malay community.

The decision by the Presidential Elections Committee to qualify Halimah Yacob as the sole candidate to run in PE2017 has sparked the hashtag #notmypresident.

The Election Department issued a press release on September 11 saying that among five presidential hopefuls, Yacob was the only to be issued with the Certificate of Eligibility, which paves the way for her to hold the presidency.

Mdm Halimah, 63, added that she will now focus on preparing for Nomination Day on Wednesday.

Spokespersons of the other two Malay candidates Farid Khan and Mohamed Salleh Marican have confirmed to Todayonline that their candidatures have been rejected.

She noted that Madam Halimah had presided over intense debates that spanned the spectrum, including those on public order and security after the Little India riot, and the controversial Population White Paper that projected Singapore's population to be between 6.5 million and 6.9 million by 2030.

Former president Tony Tan's six-year term expired on August 31 and Council of Presidential Advisers chairman JY Pillay has been the Acting President since September 1, and will remain so until Halimah assumes office.

Meanwhile, the ELD said the Community Committee issued three Malay Community Certificates while the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) made a decision to issue one Certificate of Eligibility.