Professor Garry Rodan

The ascendance of Halimah Yacob last year to the Singaporean presidency is the latest in a long line of efficient and rather drab transfers of power. In a democracy however, efficiency often sits uneasily beside true representation. Singaporeans were supposed to go to the polls on 23 September 2017 to elect the country’s eighth president but the contest never happened, as the only name on the ballot was Halimah Yacob, endorsed by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

Singapore’s election rules, hitherto used to ensure the ongoing rule of the People’s Action Party, are facing criticism from both within and without the government. The controversy surrouding recent reforms to racial criteria for presidential election candidates may undermine the authority of the winner of the September 2017 election.