Federal government of Glanodel

The Federal Government of the Commonwealth is the national government of Glanodel. Operating under a presidential system, executive power within the federal government is vested in the President of the Commonwealth. Executive powers are then delegated to the members of the President's cabinet (government) who both act as advisers on their areas of responsibility, as well as oversee the operations of the various federal departments. Federal departments can only be created, abolished, or merged by an "act of Congress".

The executive departments and agencies of the federal government are the primary units of the federal executive branch and are analogous to ministries in parliamentary systems. They are led by a "secretary", such as the Secretary of State (Minister of Foreign Affairs) or Secretary of the Treasury (Minister of Finance). These departments are the means by which the President enforces laws and implements policy. There are currently 12 executive departments. The heads of these departments also make up the Cabinet of the Commonwealth which is the primary, advisory body to the President on national and international affairs. They are also included in the line of succession to the President.

Federal departments and agencies

The day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal laws is in the hands of the various federal executive departments, created by Congress to deal with specific areas of national and international affairs. At the start of each executive administration, the President appoints senior officials to head these departments. Once approved with the "advice and consent" (approval) of the Council of States, these officials dictate to a large degree the manner in which federal law is enforced and how policies enacted by Congress are implemented nationwide. All federal executive officers serve "at the pleasure" of the President, i.e. can be dismissed at will by the President for any reason.

Cabinet

Along with a number of staff organizations grouped within the Executive Office of the President, the heads of the executive departments form a council of advisers generally known as the President's "Cabinet" (Regering). Officials within the Executive Office include the Chief of Executive Staff, Chairman of Management and Budget, Presidential Communications Director, and the Research and Development Advisory Council. There are also independent agencies such as the Aeronautics and Stellar Exploration Administration, the National Intelligence Service, and the National Security Service. The current members of cabinet, their functions and responsibilities of their department or office are as follows:

Portfolio	Official		Took Office	Date est.	Responsibilities
Executive Office of the Commonwealth
President		Noah A. Mikkelsen	20 January 2019	5 March 1900	head of state and government
Chief of Staff		Natasja G. Lund	20 January 2019	25 May 1964	primary assistant to the President
Director of Communications		Julius A. Mogensen	20 January 2019	5 March 1900	management of government press releases
Director of Federal Management and Budget		Cecilie O. Petersen	20 January 2019	5 March 1900	economic and public policy planning
Trade Representative		Frederik S. Hedegaard	15 February 2019	10 April 1936	adviser to the President on trade policy
Department of State
Secretary of State (Secretary of Foreign Affairs)		Kasper M. Simonsen	15 February 2019	10 April 1936	foreign policy, embassies
Director of National Security		Liva G. Juhl	15 February 2019	10 April 1936	espionage, counter-terrorism, cyber security
First Representative to the Lhedwinic Council		Caroline D. Kruse	10 February 2019	5 March 1900	responsible for "Lhedwinic cooperation and affairs"
Permanent Representative to the Commonwealth of Democratic Nations		Astrid M. Frandsen	10 February 2019	5 March 1900	responsible for "CDN affairs and international alliance cooperation"
Department of the Treasury
Treasurer of the Commonwealth (Secretary of the Treasury)		Alfred C. Schou	17 February 2019	5 March 1900	coinage, taxation, fiscal policy
Chairman of the Bank of Vænholm		Silje M. Jeppesen	15 February 2019	10 April 1936	banking regulation, monetary policy, central banking
Director of Consumer Services		Maria M. Jespersen	15 February 2019	10 April 1936	consumer protection, product safety standards
Department of Defense
Secretary of Defense		Tosh S. Knudsen	10 February 2019	5 March 1900	administration of the armed forces
Department of Justice
Attorney-General (Secretary of Justice)		Jakob A. Bak	18 March 2017	5 March 1900	legal counsel to the President, administration of justice
Director of National Intelligence		Laerke M. Gregersen	15 February 2019	10 April 1936	federal domestic law enforcement
Department of Commerce and Development
Secretary of Commerce and Enterprise		Michael C. Karlsen	28 February 2019	5 March 1900	industry subsidization and regulation
Secretary of Urban Development		Johanne O. Lauridsen	28 February 2019	5 March 1900	urban planning, public housing
Secretary of Rural Development		Liva L. Andersen	28 February 2019	5 March 1900	rural development, agriculture and fishing regulation, agricultural research
Department of Health and Social Services
Secretary of Social Services		Nikolaj B. Damgaard	17 February 2019	5 March 1900	administration of public services
Secretary of Healthcare		Mille J. Møller	17 February 2019	5 March 1900	public health, public healthcare system
Secretary of Welfare Services		Bente J. Jørgensen	17 February 2019	5 March 1900	welfare services
Department of Transportation and Energy
Secretary of Infrastructure		Elias J. Pedersen	6 February 2019	12 December 1964	infrastructure, public transportation
Secretary of Energy Director of Resource Management		Torben L. Nissen	6 February 2019	12 December 1964	energy production and regulation, energy policy, natural resources conservation
Department of Education
Secretary of Education		Morten L. Olsen	6 February 2019	5 March 1900	public education, public universities
Chairman of Research and Development		Anne C. Bech	10 February 2019	5 March 1900	publicly funded research and development
Department of the Interior
Secretary of Environmental Affairs		Simone A. Thomsen	10 February 2019	5 March 1900	environmental regulation, environmental policy advisement
National Conservation Director Administrator of the Green Initiative Program		Christina C. Jensen	1 March 2019	30 September 1948	wildlife conservation, administration of national parks, green technology innovation and research

President

The official presidential portrait of Alex Åberg, head of the provisional government that followed the end of the Great War and the first to be elected President of the Commonwealth of Glanodel.

The President of the Commonwealth of Glanodel is the head of state and head of government of the Commonwealth. He directs the executive branch of the federal government, heads the Cabinet of the Commonwealth, and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Glanodel. The Constitution tasks the President to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" and "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution".

Article II of the federal Constitution vests executive power in the President. This power includes the execution and enforcement of federal law, the appointment of federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory and judicial officers, and concluding treaties with foreign powers with the advice and consent of the Council of States. The president can also grant federal pardons and reprieves, and convene and adjourn joint or house sessions of Congress. The president also frequently dictates the legislative agenda of their party. The President also serves as the nation's chief diplomat and directs the foreign and domestic policy of the Commonwealth. Finally, the President holds the power to sign legislation into law or to veto it. The role of the President within Glanish politics, as well as the power of the office have fluctuated dramatically over the century since it was established.

As a matter of political tradition, all Presidents since the establishment of the office have served only two terms in office, modeled after the length of term served by the nation's first President, Alex Åberg. Although amendments which would codify this tradition as law have been proposed several times, it has gained little popular support. In all, 13 individuals have served as President of the Commonwealth spanning four 8-year terms and nine full 6-year terms. After the death of Nikolaj Svendsen on 20 January 2018, Acting President Katrine Hansen assumed the duties and responsibilities of President of the Commonwealth until the special presidential election coinciding with the national legislative elections in December of 2018. Noah Mikkelsen was elected as the 13th Glanish President.

Election

Once candidates for presidential elections announce their intentions to run for office, there is a period referred as the "primary elections" in which party nominees debate publicly and make various public appearances in an attempt to gain support from the general public. This period is generally no longer than 30-45 days and usually begins four months before the presidential election. During this time, each party will usually endorse a particular candidate that "best represents the party", though most candidates are in some way affiliated with or have served under one of the main parties.

Presidential candidates are required to obtain a nationwide majority of non-blank votes in a single round of balloting, which implies that the President is somewhat supported by at least half of the voting population. If none of the candidates wins more than 50% of the vote in the Presidential election, a runoff election is held between the two candidates which received the most votes in the prior election. Whomever wins the majority of votes in this election, becomes the net President.