In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Yacob is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Halimah.
Halimah Yacob
DUT
Halimah in 2019
8th President of Singapore
In office 14 September 2017 – 14
September 2023
Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong
Preceded by
Tony Tan
Succeeded by
Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Parliamentary offices
7th Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
In office 14 January 2013 – 7 August 2017
Deputy
Charles Chong Seah Kian Peng Lim Biow Chuan
Preceded by
Michael Palmer
Succeeded by
Tan Chuan-Jin
Member of Parliament for Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC (Marsiling)
In office 11 September 2015 – 7 August 2017
Preceded by
Hawazi bin Daipi (PAP)
Succeeded by
Zaqy Mohamad (PAP)
Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC (Bukit Batok East)
In office 3 November 2001 – 24 August 2015
Preceded by
Constituency established
Succeeded by
Rahayu Mahzam (PAP)
Junior ministerial offices
Minister of State for Social and Family Development
In office 2012–2013
Minister
Chan Chun Sing
Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports
In office 2011–2012
Minister
Chan Chun Sing
Personal details
Born
(1954-08-23) 23 August 1954 (age 69) Singapore
Political party
Independent
Other political affiliations
People's Action Party (2001–2017)
Spouse
Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee
(m. 1980)
Children
5
Alma mater
University of Singapore (LLB) National University of Singapore (LLM)
Signature
Halimah binti Yacob DUT[1] (born 23 August 1954) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who served as the eighth president of Singapore from 2017 to 2023. Halimah won in the 2017 presidential election in an uncontested walkover due to ineligible candidates. She is the first female president in Singapore's history.[2][3]
A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), Halimah was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Bukit Batok East division of Jurong GRC between 2001 and 2015, and the Marsiling division of Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC between 2015 and 2017.[4][5] Halimah served as Speaker of Parliament from 2013 to 2017. She is the first female speaker in Singapore's history.
After a constitutional amendment made in 2017, the 2017 presidential election was specifically reserved for candidates from the Malay community. Halimah resigned from the PAP and became an independent—one of the qualifications needed to run for the presidency—and ran for the 2017 presidential election which she won in an uncontested election, after the other presidential hopefuls except for her did not meet the qualifications.
During her presidency, Halimah exercised presidential discretionary powers to approve emergency funding for Singapore's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also spoke in support of women's rights. She did not seek for a re-election in the 2023 presidential election. Her term ended on 13 September 2023 and was succeeded by Tharman Shanmugaratnam on the following day.
Halimah became the chancellor of Singapore University of Social Sciences from 1 October 2023.
^"Singapore's former President Halimah Yacob awarded nation's highest civilian honour". Channel NewsAsia. 25 October 2023.
^"PM Lee accepts Halimah Yacob's resignation from the PAP". Channel NewsAsia. 7 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
^"Halimah Yacob named Singapore's first female president". Al Jazeera. 13 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
^U-Wen, Lee. "Halimah Yacob declared president-elect after walkover victory". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
^"Who is Halimah Yacob, Singapore's first female President?". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
Halimah binti Yacob DUT (born 23 August 1954) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who served as the eighth president of Singapore from 2017 to 2023...
presidential elections being walkovers, as presidents S. R. Nathan and HalimahYacob were the sole candidates to receive a Certificate of Eligibility from...
Learning (CLEL) and four centres. The chancellor of the university is HalimahYacob. The president of the university is Tan Tai Yong and the provost is...
1994), Ugandan middle-distance runner Halimah Mohamed Sadique (born 1962), Malaysian politician HalimahYacob (born 1954), President of Singapore Halimat...
Parliament was dissolved and the general election called by President HalimahYacob on 23 June, on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It elected...
sworn in on 14 September at a ceremony held at the Istana, succeeding HalimahYacob. Public Service Medal (PBM) Public Administration Medal (Gold) (PPA(E))...
and he officially retired on 1 September 2017. He was succeeded by HalimahYacob on 14 September 2017. Tan was educated at St Patrick's School and St...
president Thomas Bach and the President of Singapore, HalimahYacob, appeared remotely, with Halimah – who was on a state visit to Qatar at the time of the...
Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee became the first gentleman, after his wife HalimahYacob won the 2017 presidential election by an uncontested walkover. President...
Singapore from 7 August to 11 September 2017, following the resignation of HalimahYacob on 7 August 2017. Chong was educated at St. Michael's School and Saint...
Marsiling–Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency MP and Speaker HalimahYacob in 2017. The 13th Parliament is controlled by a People's Action Party...
third to be contested by more than one candidate. Incumbent president HalimahYacob, who had been elected unopposed in 2017, did not seek re-election. Three...
president in the past five presidential terms. The eighth president, HalimahYacob, who served as Speaker of Parliament from 2013 to 2017, prior to her...
Constituency (GRC), and the workload for the Bukit Batok division was given to HalimahYacob. ^ Tharman Shanmugaratnam resigned as Member of Parliament in 2023 to...
original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020. "Former president HalimahYacob awarded Order of Temasek for lifetime of devoted, distinguished service"...
politics, a member of parliament and is the 8th President of Singapore, HalimahYacob, was a resident of Yishun. Hui Shiu-hung, a veteran Hong Kong actor...
government departments and the courts. According to Singaporean President HalimahYacob during her 2018 speech, "Through the education system, we adopted a...
Indian-origin politician HalimahYacob, former Minister and current Speaker of Parliament. Chia, Lianne (14 September 2017). "HalimahYacob sworn in as Singapore's...
of about 22.47% for the 13th Parliament (before the resignation of HalimahYacob), in which 20 of the 89 elected MPs were women. Non-constituency Members...
Al-Abdallah Yacoub (born 1956), Syrian cinematographer and director HalimahYacob (born 1954), President of Singapore Ilyas Yakoub (1903–1958), Indonesian...
was understood that prior to his hanging, the President of Singapore HalimahYacob rejected the pleas for clemency by Tangaraju's family. On 26 April 2023...
formed. In 2017, HalimahYacob resigned from the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC (Marsiling division) to contest for the Presidency. HalimahYacob was sworn in as...
Mr Low Thia Khiang. The Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore was HalimahYacob, of the People's Action Party. She was elected as the 9th Speaker of...
caused by the Financial crisis of 2007-2008. On 9 April 2020, President HalimahYacob assented to the Revised Supplementary Supply (FY 2020) Act 2020, also...
School said that they were "deeply saddened" by the incident. President HalimahYacob opined that "parents, schools and our society are ill-equipped to deal...
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