No vote for Singapore’s first woman president

Singapore’s first woman president takes office today, but the milestone was tarnished by the fact that she has the job without a single vote being cast.

Halimah Yacob, a former speaker of parliament from the Muslim Malay minority, did not have to face an election for the mainly ceremonial post after authorities decided her rivals were not eligible.

It was not the first time that the Singaporean government has disqualified presidential candidates, making an election unnecessary, but this was the first time the presidency had been reserved for a particular race.

The decision to give Ms Halimah the job without an election added to the anger. Social media users were free with their criticism as Ms Halimah, 63, was formally announced as president-elect.

Facebook user Pat Eng wrote: “Elected without an election. What a joke.”

Ms Halimah was a member of parliament for the ruling People’s Action Party for nearly two decades before resigning to contest the presidency. She addressed concerns about the selection process after being named president-elect.

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

“Every woman can aspire to the highest office in the land when you have the courage, determination and will to work hard.”

Singapore’s head of state has limited powers, but the do include a veto on senior official appointments. An establishment figure has always held the role and there are rarely tensions with the government.

But the decision to limit candidates to one ethnic group had caused concern, including among Malays, because it was seen as positive discrimination that ran against meritocracy.

Five people put their names forward for the presidency, and the government scheduled an election for September 23.

Two were eliminated because they were not Malay. The two others, Malay businessmen, were disqualified because their companies were smaller than required by eligibility rules.