Halimah Yacob set to be next Singapore's president

This photograph taken September 11, 2017 made available by The Straits Times shows former speaker of parliament Halimah Yacob talking to reporters outside the Elections Department in Singapore. -AFP/The Straits Times/Mark Chong

SINGAPORE: Madam Halimah Yacob is set to be Singapore's eighth president and its first woman head of state this week, in the country's first presidential election reserved for candidates from the Malay community.

The 63-year-old former Speaker of Parliament was the only presidential hopeful declared eligible to contest by the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) yesterday.