(VOVworld) – Singapore’s parliament passed changes to the Constitution Wednesday, raising the bar for presidential candidates and ensuring that all races are represented in the office.

77 MPs voted in favor of the changes, while all six Workers' Party MPs opposed them (financialtribune.com)

This means Singapore's next president is likely to be Malay, the first within the past 40 years. After three days of debate, 77 members of parliament (MPs) voted in favor of the changes, while all six Workers' Party MPs opposed them. The new rules say that if no president is selected from a particular ethnic group for five straight terms, the next term will be reserved for that group.  That means next year's election will be reserved for Malay candidates

Other amendments limit qualifying candidates to holders of prominent public positions or chief executives of firms with shareholder equity of at least 360 million USD.