President of the Serenacy of Carinansia

President of the Serenacy of Carinansia
Presidential Standard (Flag of the Serenacy)
Incumbent Ronaldo Canfeld since 25 June 2097
Residence	Casa Central
Seat	Nojawa, D.C.
Term length	4 years
Constituting instrument	Serene Constitution of Cárinansia
Precursor	Emperor of Cárinansia
Formation	25 June 1965
First holder	Xiutecuhtli Cárintecatl
Deputy	Vice President of Carinansia
Salary	$30,000 per month
Website	psdc.cn

The president of Cárinansia (Cárinansian: Presidente de Cárinansia), officially the president of the Serenacy of Cárinansia (Spanish: Presidente de la Serenacía de Cárinansia), is the head of state and head of government of Cárinansia. Under the Constitution of Cárinansia, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Cárinansian Armed Forces. The current president is Ronaldo Canfeld, who took office on April 15th, 2336, as the first nonpartisan president of Carinansia.

Legislative powers

Officially, the President is designated no formal constitutional legislative powers. However, given the strong influence the have over the Vice Presidency, they can essentially act through their deputy. The Vice President is a voting member of the National Congress, and the official presiding officer over the chamber, and can introduce legislature just like any other member. The President can ergo encourage their deputy to propose legislation written directly by themselves, a common practice and an implicit practice of the Serene constitution.

Under Article 4 of the constitution, any bills passed by the National Congress must receive presidential support to pass. If they feel to receive adequate consent, the chamber can override this veto with an 80% majority. It is then enacted into law the following morning, unless it is a Sunday, in which case, Monday. If the General Inspector does not constitutionally challenge the bill within seven days, lengthier proceedings will be required for amendments.

Additionally, the President has mandatory “state of the Serenacy” addresses to the National Congress “sufficiently regularly”, which custom has defined as one year. With the exception of the inaugural address by Xiutecuhtli Cárintecatl in 1966, and lack of one in 2039 due to the it taking place during the first days of the Ko'ēti Tlazohdira Won presidency, one has taken place every year on January 20, starting at 11am in front of the National Congress, and televised nationwide. Generally speaking, strong multipartisan behaviour is exhibited. However, in 2042, Rodrigo Itocuih Madero Obispo taunted the PRC for losing the election so extensively, while sparing any criticism of his predecessor.

Selection process

Eligibility

Article III, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for holding the presidency. To serve as president, one must:

• be a natural-born citizen of the Serenacy OR a naturalised citizen for over 20 years;
• be at least 30 years old;
• be a resident in the Serenacy for at least 15 years.

A person who meets the above qualifications would, however, still be disqualified from holding the office of president under any of the following conditions:

• Under Article III, Section 1, Clause 5, having been impeached, convicted and disqualified from holding further public office including the presidency, though may be permitted to serve in state government positions unless state laws specifically prohibit them.

• Under Section 4 of the Third Amendment, no person who swore an oath to support the Constitution, and later rebelled against the Serenacy, is eligible to hold any office. However, this disqualification can be lifted by a two-thirds vote of the National Congress, and a majority-vote of the High Court. There is, again, some debate as to whether the clause as written allows disqualification from the presidential position, or whether it would first require litigation outside of Congress, although there is precedent for use of this amendment outside of the original intended purpose of excluding plantation owners from public office after the Civil War.

• Under Section 3 of the Eighteenth Amendment, no person can be elected president if they are a convicted national felon; although state felons are exempt from this, permitting them to run for office.
• Under the text of the Forty-second Amendment, no person can be elected president if they have already previously served a total of two complete presidential terms.

Election

The president is elected directly by the voters of each state and the Central District. As prescribed by Article III, Section 2, Clause 2, each voter in each state is to be equal in deciding the future president 'in perpetuity'. Additionally, the Seventh Amendment provides that the Central District home to the national government is entitled to the same treatment it would have if it were a state.

Campaigns and nominations

The modern presidential campaign begins before the primary elections, which the two major political parties use to clear the field of candidates before their national nominating conventions, where the most successful candidate is made the party's presidential nominee. Typically, the party's presidential candidate chooses a vice presidential nominee, and this choice is rubber-stamped by the convention. The most common previous profession of presidents is lawyer and soldier.

Nominees participate in nationally televised debates, and while the debates are usually restricted to the PUS and PRC nominees, third party candidates may be invited, such as Valery Sainz in the 2091 debates. Nominees campaign across the country to explain their views, convince voters and solicit contributions. Given the direct democracy aspect of voting, candidates seek to receive the most votes possible, usually primarily involving campaigns in southern Askihuac and eastern Kanju, and secondary ones in less populous outlier states.

Incumbency

Removal

Article III, Section 4 of the Constitution allows for the removal of high federal officials, including the president, from office for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors". Article III, Section 2, Clause 5 authorizes the National Congress to serve as a "grand jury" with the power to impeach said officials by a majority vote. Article III, Section 5, Clause 2 authorizes the National Congress to form a "temporary removal committee" of 20 senators chosen by the number of votes each received, and 10 chosen by sortition.

Six presidents have been impeached by the National Congress. The first, Fabian Xandinho Carrasco, and he was further convicted of various federal crimes by the Impeachment Committee. Clara Medeiras was the second president to be removed from the position, and the first to be removed via special impeachment. During the 2318-2320 Carinansian political crisis, a record number of regime changes took place, including impeachments. The first president during the Serene Revivalist dictatorship, Ramon Galvez, was impeached by the National Congress in 2261 amid a de facto coup d'etat orchestrated by his Vice President, Nicole Ferrant. Carlos Macedo was removed from office by the National Congress in 2318 for incompetence and corruption, after it was revealed the Serene government had been infilitrated by Azlan spies. His successor, Augustina Cruz, was impeached only five days later via special impeachment, in protest of weakening national security and extensive corruption during her time as Vice President. The final Serene Revivalist president, Arnaldo Lobos, is considered to have been impeached, as early presidential elections were called in April 2320 by the National Congress without his approval, leading to his removal from office.

The congressional impeachment inquiry launched two impeachment attempts against Roberto Bitencourt in 2083 and 2086, both of which were thwarted. During the Serene Revivalist dictatorship, the increasing role of power politics resulted in several Vice Presidents launching impeachment probes against the incumbent President, including by Edson Magalhaes and Wanda Macedo, both of whom used the threat of impeachment to blackmail the President into not seeking reelection.

Compensation

Presidential pay history
Year established	Salary	Salary in 2100 CAR$
1967	$100,000	$80,000
2021	$210,000	$290,000
2045	$240,000	$300,000
2081	$310,000	$360,000

Residence

The Central House in Nojawa, D.C. is the official residence of the president. The site was selected by Rodrigo Itocuih Madero Obispo, and the cornerstone was laid in 2042. Every president since RIMO (2045) has lived there. At various times since then, it has been known as the "President's Palace", the "State House", and the "Official Mansion". César Passos Moreira officially gave the Central House its current name in 2055. The federal government pays for state dinners and other official functions, but the president pays for personal, family, and guest dry cleaning and food. During the Serene Revivalist dictatorship, this rule was widely ignored by incumbent leaders, who used governmental finances to pay for personal expenses.

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  Casa Central, the official residence

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  La Zecada, official secondary residence

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  Granja de la Sierra, official secondary residence

List of Carinansian Presidents

Main article: List of Carinansian Presidents