President of the Government Council (Freice)

President of the Country of Freice Erasgari oe tela Landua oe Faio (Freician) Lhana Faioa Redinte (Kaimo Freician)
Emblem of Freice
Presidential Standard of Freice
File:Aniara Neileka (Cropped).png Incumbent Aniara Neileka Acting since 11 April 2022 (2022-04-11)
Style	Honourable President (domestic) Her Excellency (diplomatic)
Status	Head of Government
Member of	Government Council
Residence	Kaimo Potio, Sekapa
Appointer	Direct popular vote
Term length	2 years, renewable
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Freice
Precursor	Leader of the Government Council
Formation	11 April 2022 (2022-04-11)
First holder	Aniara Neileka
Deputy	Vice-President of Freice
Website	kuwanaara-mulo.fa/erasgari

The president of Freice (Freician: Erasgari oe Faio; Kaimo Freician: Faioa Redinte), officially the President of the Country of Freice (Freician: Erasgari oe tela Landua oe Faio; Kaimo Freician: Lhana Faioa Redinte) is the regional head of state and head of government of Freice.

Freice, a Country of Riamo pursues a system comparable to presidentialism, whereby the president is head of the executive branch and independent from the legislative branch. As head of government, they are the highest executive official, with extensive political responsibilities including chairing the Government Council, signing bills into law, administering Freice's external affairs policy, and representing Freice internationally. The president is an ex officio member of the Kivunna (the legislature), deviating from pure presidentialism, although they do not have a vote and cannot be removed by a vote of no confidence.

The office was established with the passage of the Constitution of Freice in April 2022, which separated the positions of head of government and presiding officer of the legislature. The creation of the post marks Freice's transition from a parliamentary to a presidential system of government. The president is directly-elected every two years. The first and incumbent president is Aniara Neileka, who has served in an acting capacity since 11 April 2022. Neileka previously served as President of the Island Meeting from 20 January 2022.

Election

Qualifications

A candidate for president is required to meet the following requirements to be eligible:

• Be at least eighteen years of age
• Be a registered voter
• Possess Riamese citizenship and Freician nationality
• Be a permanent resident of Freice for at least five years at the time of election

Vote

The president of Freice is directly elected by the Freician electorate every two years in January. The candidate with a majority of the votes is elected; a second round is held if no candidate receives a majority. In the event of a tie, the constitution mandates that the Kivunna elects the president from amongst the two candidates. There are no term limits.

Oath or affirmation

Upon their election, presidents are required to take the following oath or affirmation:

I [name], having been elected by the people to the office of President, do solemnly swear/well and truly affirm and declare that I shall discharge the duties of the office of President in accordance with the Constitution of the Country of Freice, that I shall render true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of Freice, that I shall execute my powers and duties with full respect to the political, social, economic, and cultural rights of the Freician people, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. (So help me God).

Powers and Responsibilities

Executive powers

The president, according to the Constitution of Freice, is responsible for "supervising, directing, and implementing the actions and resolutions of the Government Council." The president is Freice's chief executive and leads the executive branch. In this capacity, they appoint ministers to the Government Council, with the advice and consent of the Kivunna, and may request their removal.

The president is responsible for overseeing the organisation of the island's government. As such, they may issue directives establishing new positions in the Government Council. However, they may not dissolve any position without the consent of the Kivunna. Under the constitution, the president is also empowered to propose constitutional amendments (along with the Kivunna). Ministers in the government are accountable to the president, as well as the Kivunna, and work to implement the president's policies.

The president is also Commissioner of the Freice Police Service, a position akin to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In this position, they appoint the Inspector-General (the professional head of the service) with the approval of the Kivunna.

Legislative powers

As Freice's head of state, the president is responsible for granting assent to all bills passed by the Kivunna. Whilst they do not have the power of veto, they may refer any bills to the High Court when their constitutionality is in question.

The president is responsible for calling the Kivunna into session, which they must do within one month of its election. They also have the limited power to prorogue and dissolve the Kivunna, which they may only do under certain circumstances: when it has reached the end of its term, or when it has elected to dissolve itself. As convenor of the Kivunna, the president may also elect to adjourn the Kivunna and reconvene it elsewhere, which is done only with a two-thirds majority vote by its members.

The president makes formal reports to the Kivunna on the operations of government, and makes an annual address to the legislature announcing the government's program for the next year. This is done on the invitation of the President of the Kivunna.

Judicial powers

The president's role within the judiciary is largely limited to appointing its members. Judges of the Court of Appeal and the High Court are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judiciary Appointments Council and with the consent of the Kivunna. The council recommends individuals, with the president at liberty to choose any person from this list.

Whilst the president does not possess the power to issue commutations, pardons, or paroles in their own right, they have the ultimate right to accept or reject any recommendations made by the minister of justice. The president is empowered to do so when the Kivunna approves any proposal for clemency.

Succession

The Constitution of Freice outlines the process of succeeding to the presidency in the event that the president leaves office prior to the conclusion of their term or is otherwise unable to exercise their duties.

The President of the Kivunna is the first-in-line in the line of succession; if they are unable to execute the office in the interim, the Vice-President of the Kivunna may issue an emergency order appointing an acting president. In this scenario, the Kivunna may terminate the acting president's tenure and appoint a replacement.

Unlike in most states, ministers do not automatically succeed to the presidency. This is, in part, because they were appointed by and answerable to the president, rather than serve as independent actors.

See also

• Monarchy of Riamo
• Freice

External links

• Official website of the Government