Yusof Ishak Was First ELECTED S’pore President, Just Not By The People But By Parliament
Actually, it is correct. The president (in the past) was elected by Parliament, after being nominated by the Prime Minister. That was what happened with our first president, Yusof Ishak.
I can’t find record of his election to his first term of office (maybe it is because his was a conversion from being Yang pertuan negara.) For his second term, he was elected by Parliament, after being nominated by PM LKY in Parliament in 1967:
“That this Parliament, in accordance with Article I of the Constitution of Singapore, elects Inche Yusof bin Ishak as President of the Republic of Singapore for a further term of four years to commence immediately after the expiry of his present term of office.”
See here: //sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/topic.jsp?currentTopicID=00053152-ZZ¤tPubID=00069171-ZZ&topicKey=00069171-ZZ.00053152-ZZ_1%2Bid004_19671130_S0003_T00031-president-address%2B
**Incidentally, Yusof Ishak was sworn in as Singapore’s first President on National Day, 9 August 1965.
Original post written by Mr. Andrew Loh
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