Halimah Yacob sworn in as Singapore's first female president without vote

An establishment personality Halimah Yacob sworn in Singapore's first female president but this was criticised by citing her selection undemocratic after she was handed the job without a vote.

In this election, there were no other contenders for the position.In her first speech as president, Halimah addressed the racial tensions that have sprung up as a result of the process and vowed to be president of all Singaporeans "regardless of race, language or religion".

"I look forward to the day when we will no longer need to have reserved elections, and Singaporeans naturally and regularly elect citizens of all races as presidents," she added.

Halimah Yacob, a former speaker of parliament from the Muslim Malay minority, did not have to face an election for the largely ceremonial post originally due this month after authorities decided her rivals did not meet strict eligibility criteria.

It was not the first time in the affluent city-state — which is tightly controlled and has been ruled by the same party for decades — that the government has disqualified candidates for the presidency, making an election unnecessary.

But there was already unease about the process as it was the first time that the presidency had been reserved for a particular ethnic group, in this case, the Malay community, and the decision to hand her the job without a vote added to the anger.

Social media was abuzz with criticism after this announcement as people find it undemocratic.