President Halimah Yacob will not run for a second term as president

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President Halimah Yacob will not be running for a second term as president in the upcoming election, according to a statement posted on the head of state's Facebook page on 29 June.

Yacob's term will expire on 13 September and an election, which is held every six years, will be called though there is a possibility that it might be called up to a month earlier.

Don't miss: Rundown of marketing dollars spent on Halimah Yacob's Presidential campaign

In her post, Yacob wrote, "In a few months’ time, the Presidential Election will be held. After very careful consideration, I have decided not to stand for re-election," she said.

It has been a great honour and privilege to serve as the eighth President of Singapore for the past six years. The experience has been most inspiring and, at the same time, humbling.

Yacob continued by writing that she was aware of the "tremendous responsibilities" of the Presidency when she took office in 2017 and that she has "tried [her] best" to fulfill them. "My aim was to help create a more caring and compassionate society," she said, noting that she was glad that working together with Singaporeans, she was able to strengthen the voice of local communities and to uplift those who are most in need, particularly the disadvantaged and vulnerable.

She noted in a longer statemen attached to her Facebook post that she is very proud of Singaporeans who stood together during the Covid-19 pandemic to support each other, and which enabled the country to transit to its present state.

“Many foreign leaders whom I met while representing Singapore internationally to strengthen our bilateral relations, had expressed their respect and admiration for our good system of governance, underpinned by strong social cohesion among our multi-racial and multi-religious society,” said Yacob.

Our social cohesion was put to the test, and we passed with flying colors.

She added that the "unifying role" of the presidency is to work closely with the government to safeguard Singapore’s future and that it has always been critical to the nation's success.

"I am grateful to all Singaporeans for their trust, understanding and kindness during my tenure, and to the many community, social and business organisations, who have inspired me with their conviction and enthusiasm to build a better Singapore," she continued before noting that she has been "most fortunate" to be given the chance to serve all Singaporeans regardless of race, language, or social standing as the President of Singapore.

"I will forever cherish the fond memories of the people I have met, and the experiences acquired during my term. These will inspire me to continue contributing to our society and nation in other ways for as long as I am able to. I would also like to thank my husband and family for their unstinting support throughout my Presidency," she said.

Yacob was elected to the presidency in 2017 after a SG$220,875 presidential campaign, according to the Singapore Elections Department (ED) at the time.

According to a report by Channel NewsAsia, SG$198,154 was spent on advertising and promotional materials. The report added that Yacob’s biggest cost was in the 20,110 posters which cost around SG$73,000, inclusive of incineration costs.

Meanwhile, The Straits Times reported that SG$36,400 was spent on the 1.28 million postcards which would have been mailed out to households if the election had been contested.

Next in marketing costs was a profile video of Yacob which amounted to SG$29,000. According to CNA, the video took six days to film. In addition to online marketing costs was SG$16,000 spent on a website, according to ST. The report added that 10,000 fridge magnets were also bought at under SG$0.30 each and 530 umbrellas were bought for SG$1,640

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