President
The majority of this article is about heads of states. For more on other kinds of presidents, see Non-Governmental Presidents, below. For more on the usage of term "president", see President (history of the term).President is a
title held by many leaders of
organizations,
companies,
universities, and
countries.
Etymologically, a "president" is one who
presides, who sits in leadership (from
Latin prae- "before" +
sedere "to sit"; just as
Praeses). Originally, the term referred to the presiding officer of a ceremony or meeting (i.e.
chairman); but today it most commonly refers to an official with
executive powers.
Among other things,
President today is a common title for the
Head of state of most
republics, whether popularly
elected, chosen by the
legislature or a special
electoral college. It is also often adopted by
dictators.
Originally the term was used to refer to the presiding officer of a committee or governing body in Great Britain. Later this usage was applied to political leaders. Early examples are from the Universities of
Oxford and
Cambridge (from 1464); the founding
President of the Royal Society William Brouncker in 1660; heads of individual British colonies (originally Virginia in 1608); and chief officers of banks (from 1781).
It was adopted as a title for the "officer in charge of the
Continental Congress" in 1774,
George Washington, becoming the first President of a country, the
President of the United States of America.
As other countries followed the
American revolution, and deposed their monarchies, it was adopted as the title for the new republican Heads of State. The first European president was the
President of France, a post created in the
Second Republic of
1848. (The
First Republic had begun with no separate executive, then established five
Directors, and finally echoed the ancient
Roman Republic by appointing three
consuls at its head.)
The first president of an internationally recognized African state was the
President of Liberia in
1848.
Today, most
republics have a President as Head of State.
Presidential systems
In states with a
presidential system of
government, the President exercises the functions of
Head of State and Head of government, i.e. he directs the Executive arm of Government. Presidents in this system are either
directly elected by popular vote or
indirectly elected by an electoral college.
In the USA, the President is indirectly elected by the
U.S. Electoral College made up of electors chosen by voters in the presidential election. In most U.S. states, each elector is committed to voting for a specified candidate determined by the popular vote in each state, so that the people, in voting for each elector, is in effect voting for the candidate. However, in several close U.S. elections (notably
1876,
1888,
2000), while one candidate received the most popular votes, another candidate managed to win more electoral votes in the Electoral College and so won the presidency.
Many South - & Central American (taking their cue from the USA) and African republics also follow this model.
Parliamentary systems
Other states have adopted a
parliamentary system of government, in which the president is Head of State but usually largely ceremonial. In these cases the separate head of government (often a
prime minister), who is usually indirectly elected by the parliamentary majority, holds the executive power and forms the government.
Countries with such systems include most European and Commonwealth republics including
Finland,
Germany,
India,
Ireland,
Israel,
Italy and
Singapore, as well as
Portugal (which has a slightly different system).
Sri Lanka has a hybrid system (which includes a parliament and a prime minister as well as an extremely powerful president).
Under such a system, the president as head of state generally takes a similar role to a
constitutional monarch, with the government governing in his or her name, producing phrases such as "His/Her Excellency's Government" in formal state documentation.
A president may also possess some
reserve powers, which can be exercised by the president without formal advice (i.e., binding instruction) from the government. In some constitutional systems the president chairs (at least some) cabinet meetings and often has access to all cabinet memoranda. Especially in fields where
protocol is important, such as diplomacy, the head of state tends to be a major player. The president can therefore exercise a degree of
informal influence not often publicly realised.
An example of this influence is the following:between 1870 and 1940, and again from 1945 to 1958, France operated a classic parliamentary system of government, with power in a cabinet chosen by the
National Assembly, and a largely, though not totally, symbolic president; in 1877, President
Mac-Mahon showed that his office was constitutionally significant when he dismissed the then prime minister before calling new elections, in the hope of achieving a royalist majority to restore the monarchy (the plan failed).
Presidential titles for mere Heads of Governement
Some countries with parliamentary systems use a term meaning/translating as 'president' (in some languages undistinguishable from chairman) for the head of parliamentary government, often as
President of the Government,
President of the Council of Ministers or
President of the Executive Council.
However, such an official is explicitly not the president of the
country. Rather, he or she is called a
president in an older sense of the word to denote the fact that he or she heads the
cabinet. A separate
head of state generally exists in their country that instead serves as the president or monarch of the country.
Thus, such officials are really
premiers, and to avoid confusion are often described simply as '
prime minister' when being mentioned internationally.
There are several examples for this kind of presidency:
* Under the French
Third and the
Fourth Republics, the "
President of the Council" (of ministers, i.e. Prime Minister) was the Head of government, with the
President of the Republic a largely symbolic figurehead.
* The
Prime minister of the
Irish Free State from 1922 to 1937 was titled
President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. At the same time, the Irish Free State was a constitutional monarchy with a reigning monarch, the
King of Ireland, as well as a resident
Governor-General carrying out many head of state functions.
* The
Prime Minister of Spain is officially referred to as the President of the Government of
Spain, and informally known as the "President". Spain is also a kingdom with a reigning
King of Spain.
* The official title of the
Prime Minister of Poland is
President of the Council of Ministers (''
Polish Prezes Rady Ministrów'
Semi-presidential systems
|
François Mitterrand, first French President who appointed a Prime Minister from an opposition party after he won the election (cohabitation) |
A third system is the
semi-presidential system, also known as the
French system, in which like the Parliamentary system there is both a President and a Prime Minister, but unlike the Parliamentary system the President may have significant day-to-day power. When his party controls the majority of seats in the National Assembly the president can operate closely with the parliament and prime minister, and work towards a common agenda. When the National Assembly is controlled by opponents of the President however, the president can find himself marginalized with the opposition party prime minister exercising most of the power. Though the prime minister remains an appointee of the president, the president must obey the rules of parliament, and select a leader from the house's majority holding party. Thus, sometimes the president and PM can be allies, sometimes bitter rivals; the latter situation is known as
cohabitation. The French semi-presidential system, which can be considered a hybrid between the first two, was developed at the beginning of the
Fifth Republic by
Charles de Gaulle. It is used (of course) in
France,
Russia,
Sri Lanka and several other post-colonial countries which have emulated the French model.
Collective Presidency
Only a tiny minority of modern republics do not have a head of state; examples include:
*
Switzerland, where the headship of state is collectively vested in the seven-member
Swiss Federal Council despite the fact the system includes a
President of the Confederation. The President is a member of the Federal Council elected by the
Federal Assembly (the Swiss
Parliament) for a year (
constitutional convention mandates that the post rotates every
New Year's Day); and the President is merely
primus inter pares. Nevertheless, on the international stage he or she is treated as head of state.
Letters of Credence appointing ambassadors are formally addressed to him or her by other heads of state.
*
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has a three-member
Presidency, each of which are elected by a different
constituent nation. The position of the President of the Presidency rotates between the three members.
*
San Marino, which has two
Captains Regent elected by the
Great and General Council.
In
dictatorships, the title is frequently taken by self-appointed and/or military-backed leaders. Such is the case in many African states;
Idi Amin in
Uganda, for example. In some communist states, the head of the Communist party was also given the presidency, such as
Mikhail Gorbachev in the
Soviet Union. On other occasions in the Soviet Union, the real power was exercised by the General Secretary of the Communist Party, with some local notable holding the presidency.
President for Life is a title assumed by some
dictators to ensure that their authority or legitimacy is never questioned.
The first well-known incident of a leader extending his term indefinitely was Roman dictator
Julius Caesar, who made himself "
Perpetual Dictator" (commonly mistranslated as 'Dictator-for-life') in
45 BC. His actions would later be mimicked by the French leader
Napoleon Bonaparte who was appointed "First Consul for life" in
1802.
Ironically, most leaders who proclaim themselves President for Life do not in fact successfully serve a life term. Even so presidents like
Alexandre Sabès dit Pétion,
Rafael Carrera,
Josip Broz Tito and
François Duvalier died in office.
The only living officially proclaimed president for life is
Saparmurat Niyazov of
Turkmenistan.
Many others do not proclaim it officially
"for life" even if it is evident that they are, like
Fidel Castro of Cuba, or
Nicolae Ceauşescu of
Romania, who ruled until his
execution (see
Romanian revolution)
Several presidents have ruled until their
death in
democratic countries, but they have not actually been made and/or proclaimed themselves as President for Life. For instance,
Archbishop President Makarios became
president of Cyprus late in his life (in
1960) and ruled until his
death in
1977, having successfully won
re-election several times.
As the country's head of state, in most countries the president is entitled to certain symbolic honors, as well as luxury perks that come with the office. For example, most of the world's heads of state, including presidents, have a prestigious residence; often a lavish mansion or palace, sometimes more than one (e.g. summer and winter residence, country retreat) - for a list see
Official residence.
Furthermore in some nations the Presidency enjoys certain symbols of office, such as an official uniform, decorations, a presidential seal, coat of arms, flag and other visible accessories; military honours such as
gun salutes,
Ruffles and flourishes, and a presidential guard. A common presidential symbol is the
presidential sashes worn by
Latin American presidents as a symbol of the presidency's continuity, and presenting the sash to the new president is a key part of the
inauguration ceremony.
*
European Commission*
Leaders of post-Soviet independent states*
President of Argentina*
President of Austria*
President of Brazil*
President of the People's Republic of China*
President of the Republic of China*
President of Fiji*
President of Finland*
President of France*
President of Germany*
President of India*
President of Indonesia*
President of Iraq*
President of Ireland*
President of Israel*
President of Malta*
President of Mexico*
President of Pakistan*
President of Peru*
President of the Philippines*
President of the Republic of Poland*
President of the Russian Federation*
President of Serbia*
President of Serbia and Montenegro*
President of South Africa*
President of Switzerland*
President of Trinidad and Tobago*
President of the United StatesThe
European Union is governed in part by the
Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a rotating post held by the member states of the European Union. In the past this has been one individual state presiding for a six-month period; as of
2007 it will be three states sharing the presidency during their overlapping 18-month terms.
There is also a
President of the European Commission, who is appointed, like his portfolio Commissioners, for a whole legislature.
President can also be the title of the chief executive at a lower administrative level, such as the
parish presidents of the
parishes of the
U.S. state of
Louisiana or the
municipal presidents of
Mexico's
municipalities.
President is also used as a title in some non-governmental organizations.
The head of a university or non-profit corporation, particularly in the United States of America, is often known as president. In
university systems with multiple independent campuses, the relationship between the roles of
president and
chancellor can become quite complicated. President is also a title in many corporations. In some cases the president acts as
chief operating officer under the direction of the
chief executive officer.
In British constitutional practice, the chairman of an
Executive Council, acting in such a capacity, is known as a
President of the Executive Council. Usually this person is the
Governor but is not always so.
In
French legal terminology, the president of a court consisting of multiple
judges is the foremost judge; he chairs the meeting of the court and directs the debates (and this thus addressed as "Mr President",
Monsieur le Président, or appropriate feminine forms). In general, a court comprises several chambers, each with its own president; thus the most senior of these is called the "first president" (as in: "the First President of the
Court of Cassation is the most senior judge in France"). Similarly in UK legal practice the most senior judge in each division uses this title (e.g. President of the Family Division, President of the Court of Appeal).
Many other organizations, clubs, and committees, both political and non-political are led by Presidents as well. Examples can vary from the President of a
political party, to the president of a
chamber of commerce, to the President of a
students' union and even the president of a
high school chess club.
In the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the head of the church is known as the
President. Together with his two counselors, they are known as the
First Presidency. This pattern is repeated throughout the church in
quorums and in other bodies, each of which is led by a president. The
Methodist Church in the UK (and also other provinces) is led by the President of the Methodist Council, and assumes the role of leading minister and spokesperson.
*The powers, functions and functioning of presidents were reviewed by six international experts for Australia's
Republic Advisory Committee in 1993. Reports by among others Professor
Klaus Von Beyme (on Germany),
A.G Noorani (on India),
Jim Duffy (on Ireland) and Sir
Ellis Clarke (on Trinidad and Tobago) outline the role of various presidencies. The full report is called
An Australian Republic: The Options - The Appendices (ISBN 0644325895)
*
List of democracy and elections-related topics*
CEOs of major corporations*
Head of state*
Governor-General*
Mayor-President*
Minister-President (a head of government, not - of state)
*
Monarch*
Prime Minister*
List of national leaders*
Heads of state timeline*
Federal World Government*
Presidents' Day
