Halimah Yacob

Halimah binte Yacob (born 23 August 1954) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who was the eighth president of Singapore from 2017 to 2023, making her the first woman to serve in this role after being elected uncontested in the 2017 presidential election. As a member of the People's Action Party (PAP), Halimah served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bukit Batok East division of the Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from 2001 to 2015 and then for the Marsiling division of the Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC from 2015 to 2017. She became Singapore's first female speaker of parliament, a position she held from 2013 to 2017. Following a constitutional amendment in 2016, the 2017 presidential election was reserved for candidates from the Malay community. To qualify, Halimah resigned from the PAP and her position as an MP, with her Marsiling division covered by other members of the constituency from 7 August until the next general election. She ran as an independent candidate, as required for eligibility, and subsequently won in an uncontested election because her rivals did not meet the necessary qualifications. She was sworn in on 14 September. During her presidency, Halimah utilised her discretionary powers to approve emergency funding for Singapore's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and advocated for women's rights. She chose not to seek re-election in the 2023 presidential election, concluding her term on 13 September, after which she was succeeded by Tharman Shanmugaratnam.