Woman named to Singapore speaker’s role
(01-08 16:43)
A Muslim woman will replace the former speaker of Singapore's parliament, who was forced to step down after admitting an illicit affair.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he would nominate Halimah Yacob, the minister of state at the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, for the post when parliament sits next Monday. She will be the country's first female speaker, AFP reports.
Halimah, 58, will replace Michael Palmer, 44, who resigned last month after publicly confessing he had an extramarital affair with a young community worker in the latest high-profile sex scandal to hit the city-state.
Halimah, who must resign from the cabinet before she takes up her new post, has extensive experience in the labor movement, social work and pre-school education.
Singapore's small and diverse opposition parties have urged Lee to call a by-election in the Punggol East ward vacated by Palmer, a married father of one.
The 87-member parliament is dominated by the People's Action Party, which has governed the tiny island continuously since 1959. There are currently only six opposition members in parliament.
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