President of Singapore

Template:Politics of Singapore

The President of Singapore is the head of state, being elected by universal suffrage since 1993. Previously, the President was elected by the unicameral Parliament, with executive power remaining with the Prime Minister. The President's flag is a banner of the country's coat of arms. The President is a constitutional head of state, with duties similar to those of the British monarch, although constitutional changes have given the holder of the office new reserve powers. The President's official residence is called the Istana.

The office of President was created in 1965 after Singapore became a Republic on its departure from the Federation of Malaysia in that year. It replaced the office of Yang di-Pertuan Negara, which had been created when Singapore gained self-government in 1959. The last Yang di-Pertuan Negara, Inche Yusuf bin Ishak, became the first President. He was replaced by Benjamin Henry Sheares, who served as President until his death in 1981, when he was succeeded by Chengara Veetil Devan Nair. Owing to personal problems, Nair stepped down in 1985 and was replaced by Wee Kim Wee, who served as President until 1993.

In January 1991, the Constitution was amended to provide for the popular election of the President, who would have the power to veto appointments in the civil service and the use of government reserves. The creation of the popularly elected presidency is a major constitutional and political change in Singapore's history as, under the revision, the President is empowered to veto the government's budget and appointments to public office. He can also examine the administration's enforcement of the Internal Security Act and religious harmony laws, and look into investigations of corruption.

The first directly elected President was Ong Teng Cheong, a former cabinet minister. He served as president from September 1, 1993, through August 31, 1999.

The incumbent President is Sellapan Rama Nathan. His current term expires on August 31, 2005.

Qualifications and Disabilities of the President

The following is taken from http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/. Certain changes have been made for this entry. Please refer to the website for more details.

Qualifications and disabilities of President (1) No person shall be elected President unless he is qualified for election in accordance with the provisions of the Singapore Constitution.

(2) A person shall be qualified to be elected as President if he —

(a) is a citizen of Singapore;

(b) is not less than 45 years of age;

(c) possesses the qualifications specified in Article 44 (2) (c) and (d) ie. his name appears in a current register of electors; he is resident in Singapore at the date of his nomination for election and has been so resident for periods amounting in the aggregate to not less than 10 years prior to that date;

(d) is not subject to any of the disqualifications specified in Article 45, i.e. (1)(i) is and has been found or declared to be of unsound mind; (ii) is an undischarged bankrupt; (iii) holds an office of profit; (iv) having been nominated for election to Parliament or the office of President or having acted as election agent to a person so nominated, has failed to lodge any return of election expenses required by law within the time and in the manner so required; (v) has been convicted of an offence by a court of law in Singapore or Malaysia and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than $2,000 and has not received a free pardon: Provided that where the conviction is by a court of law in Malaysia, the person shall not be so disqualified unless the offence is also one which, had it been committed in Singapore, would have been punishable by a court of law in Singapore; (vi) has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of, or exercised rights of citizenship in, a foreign country, or has made a declaration of allegiance to a foreign country; or (vii) is disqualified under any law relating to offences in connection with elections to Parliament or the office of President by reason of having been convicted of such an offence or having in proceedings relating to such an election been proved guilty of an act constituting such an offence. (2) The disqualification of a person under clause (1) (iv) or (v) may be removed by the President and shall, if not so removed, cease at the end of 5 years beginning from the date on which the return mentioned in clause (1) (iv) was required to be lodged or, as the case may be, the date on which the person convicted as mentioned in clause (1) (v) was released from custody or the date on which the fine mentioned in clause (1) (v) was imposed on such person; and a person shall not be disqualified under clause (1) (f) by reason only of anything done by him before he became a citizen of Singapore. (3) In clause (1) (f), “foreign country” does not include any part of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.;

(e) satisfies the Presidential Elections Committee that he is a person of integrity, good character and reputation;

(f) is not a member of any political party on the date of his nomination for election; and

(g) has for a period of not less than 3 years held office —

(i) as Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, Attorney-General, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Auditor-General, Accountant-General or Permanent Secretary;

(ii) as chairman or chief executive officer of a statutory board to which Article 22A applies;

(iii) as chairman of the board of directors or chief executive officer of a company incorporated or registered under the Companies Act (Cap. 50) with a paid-up capital of at least $100 million or its equivalent in foreign currency; or

(iv) in any other similar or comparable position of seniority and responsibility in any other organization or department of equivalent size or complexity in the public or private sector which, in the opinion of the Presidential Elections Committee, has given him such experience and ability in administering and managing financial affairs as to enable him to carry out effectively the functions and duties of the office of President.

(3) The President shall —

(a) not hold any other office created or recognized by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore;

(b) not actively engage in any commercial enterprise;

(c) not be a member of any political party; and

(d) if he is a member of Parliament, vacate his seat in Parliament.

(4)(a) if he is a member of any political party, resign as a member of that party; or

(b) vacate his seat in Parliament or any other office created or recognized by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore.

Term of Office

(1) The President shall hold office for a term of 6 years from the date on which he assumes office.

(2) The person elected to the office of President shall assume office on the day his predecessor ceases to hold office or, if the office is vacant, on the day following his election.

(3) Upon his assumption of office, the President shall take and subscribe in the presence of the Chief Justice or of another Justice of the Supreme Court the Oath of Office in the form set out in the First Schedule.

 bar:Leaders color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:S

 from:start till:1970 shift:($dx,5)   text:Yusuf~Ishak
 from:1970  till:1981 shift:($dx,5)    text:Benjamin~Sheares
 from:1981  till:1985 shift:($dx,3)    text:C.V.~Devan Nair
 from:1985  till:1993 shift:($dx,5)    text:Wee~Kim Wee
 from:1993  till:1999 shift:($dx,5)  text:Ong~Teng Cheong
 from:1999  till:end  shift:($dx,4)    text:S.R.~Nathan

List of Presidents of the Republic of Singapore

1. 1965-1970: Inche Yusuf bin Ishak (1910-1970)
2. 1970-1981: Benjamin Henry Sheares (1907-1981)
3. 1981-1985: C.V. Devan Nair (born 1923)
4. 1985-1993: Wee Kim Wee (1915-2005)
5. 1993-1999: Ong Teng Cheong (1936-2002)
6. From 1999: Sellapan Rama Nathan (born 1924)

External Link

• Office of the President of the Republic of Singapore (http://www.istana.gov.sg)id:Daftar Presiden Singapura

ms:Presiden-presiden Singapura zh:新加坡总统