Halimah Yacob was elected Singapore's first female speaker of parliament on Monday.

Halimah, 58, was previously a minister of state at the Ministry of Social and Family Development. She was nominated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to fill the position that was left vacant after the resignation of former speaker Michael Palmer.

Palmer resigned as both a lawmaker and a speaker last month over an extramarital affair.

Halimah told local media earlier that she will evolve her own style in parliament.

"Everyone brings to the position that we hold as speaker our own experience, our own context and I'm sure that shapes a great deal how we conduct the proceedings," she said.

The role of the speaker is to conduct proceedings efficiently and in an orderly manner, she said.