Singapore has inaugurated its first female president, Halimah Yacob. Yacob was the only person put forward for the position, which this time, was reserved for candidates from the minority Malay community.
Other candidates fell short of the criteria set for contesting the election.
The decision to reserve the position, a largely ceremonial six-year post, on the grounds of race, was aimed at strengthening a sense of inclusiveness, but critics have expressed dismay that the position went uncontested.
Of the four other applicants, two were not Malays and two were not qualified to contest.
63 year old Halimah, a former speaker of parliament, had automatically qualified, because she held a senior public post for over three years.
If the election had been held, all citizens would have been eligible to vote.
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