President of Besmenia

President of Federal Republic of Besmenia
Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Besmenien
Logo of the President
Standard of the President
Incumbent Erika Badt-Springer since 1 April 2024
Type	Head of State
Residence	Traisenbach Castle, Laitstadt
Nominator	Political partys or self-nomination
Appointer	Direct popular vote
Term length	6 years, renewable once
Formation	2 July 1920
Deputy	President of the Federal Chamber
Salary	BS 300,000 annually

The president of Besmenia, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Besmenia (Besmenian: Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Besmenien), is the head of state of Besmenia and commander-in-chief of the Besmenian Federal Army. According to the Basic Law, the president is the highest representative of the state. In practice the president is mostly a ceremonial and symbolic figurehead.

The Federal President is elected by the people every six years and may only be re-elected once and remain in office continuously for a total of twelve years.

History

Before 1920

The government of the short-lived Confederation of East Besmenian States, consisting of the BDP, SDU and BKP, as well as the provisional Federal Assembly, agreed when the KBS was founded in 1918 that the president of the provisional federal assembly would also serve as head of state. Between 1918 and 1920 Gustav Scharping was President of the Federal Assembly and was also the head of state of the Confederation.

After the end of the Besmenian civil war, the BDP and BKP strove for a head of state with a special position of power. The SDU sought to retain the President of Parliament as head of state. As a compromise, after the founding of the East Besmenian Federal Republic on July 2, 1920, the president was created as a separate state body, but his powers were only very weak, which meant he had mostly ceremonial tasks.

Requirements

To become a presidential candidate, three prerequisites must be met:

• The presidential candidate must be at least 36 years old.
• The presidential candidate must be born in Besmenia.
• The presidential candidate must have lived in Besmenia continuously for at least 10 years.

A presidential candidate also needs 5,500 signatures to participate in the presidential election. While in office the president cannot belong to an elected body or hold any other political position.

Election

The term of office is about 6 years. A one-time re-election is possible. Until 1935 the president was elected by the Federal Assembly, which is composed of the members of the Federal Chamber and the Federal Senate. Hugo Dautzenberg was the first president to be directly elected by the people in the 1941 East Besmenian presidential election.

Until 1939 there was no limitation in office, which means that any candidate could serve as president for more than 12 years. In 1939, under Premier Heinz Dimmler and his government cabinet, multiple re-elections were abolished and limited to one.

Past presidential elections

Election	Date	Ballots	Winner	Electoral votes (percentage)	Runner-up	Electoral votes (percentage)
1920	30 September 1920	1	Hermann Köster (Independent)	75,3%	Hans Gussmann (BNVP)	10,7%
1926	29 August 1926	1	Hermann Köster (Independent)	69,3%	Bernhard Bruning (KPB)	21%
1929	5 May 1929	1	Siegfried Saalmann (BKP)	51,8%	Herbert Frenkel (SDU)	48,2%
1935	5 May 1935	2	Heinrich Friedensberg (BVP)	60,5%	Gustav Weinfink (SDU)	39,5%
1941	4 May 1941 18 May 1941	2	Hugo Dautzenberg (SDU)	67,9%	Siegfried Radler (Independent)	32,1%
1947	4 May 1947	1	Hugo Dautzenberg (SDU)	50,9%	Gustav Böcker (BVP)	39,4%
1951	29 April 1951	1	Wilhelm Ganswindt (BVP)	60,2%	Jürgen Waldmacher (FBBP)	29%
1957	28 April 1957	1	Wilhelm Ganswindt (BVP)	58%	Oskar Stein (SDU)	30,3%
1963	28 April 1963 12 May 1963	2	Thomas Albrecht (SDU)	54,7%	Franz Kramwald (BVP)	45,3%
1969	27 April 1969	1	Thomas Albrecht (SDU)	60,2%	Alois Huthmacher (BRP)	32,1%
1973	25 March 1973	1	Erwin Pohl (Independent)	56,3%	Kurt Weimer (BVP)	31%
1979	25 February 1979	1	Erwin Pohl (Independent)	74,8%	Werner Kaltmann (BVP)	15,2%
1985	24 February 1985 10 March 1985	2	Otto Schulz (FBBP)	60,5%	Manfred von Henning (BRP)	39,5%
1991	24 February 1991	1	Otto Schulz (FBBP)	63,4%	Josef Müller (Independent)	33,8%
1997	23 February 1997 9 March 1997	2	Gerhard Mahler (SDU)	52,1%	Ursula Kummstein (FBBP)	47,9%
2003	23 February 2003	1	Hans Kiesinger (BVP)	53,8%	Peter Treudler (NBP)	25,1%
2009	22 February 2009	1	Hans Kiesinger (BVP)	56,3%	Doris Klammer-Brunt (SDU)	31,8%
2015	22 February 2015	1	Sebastian Bergmann (GPB)	57,7%	Regina Vogel (FBBP)	21,5%
2021	28 February 2021 14 March 2021	2	Vincent von Schilling (BVP)	52,9 %	Sebastian Bergmann (GPB)	46,9 %
2024	10 March 2024 24 March 2024	2	Erika Badt-Springer (FBBP)	51,8%	Jens Schechter (NBP)	48,2%

Succession

Barbara Schröder, current President of the Federal Chamber, and at the same time deputy to the Besmenian president.

The Besmenian Basic Law makes no provisions for an office of vice president. The official deputy to the Besmenian president is the President of the Federal Chamber. If the Federal President resigns or dies during his term of office, the President of the Federal Chamber assumes the duties of the Besmenian president on an acting basis until a new Federal President is sworn in. During this time, a new Federal President must be elected.

Oath

When taking office, the president must recite the following oath:
"I, (name) swear that I will devote my energies to the welfare of the Besmenian people, uphold the Basic Law and the laws of the Federal Republic of Besmenia, conscientiously fulfill my duties and do justice to everyone."

Tasks and powers

In his function as head of state, the Federal President has, among other things, the following tasks and powers:

• He represents Besmenia under international law.
• He is the commander-in-chief of the Besmenian Federal Army.
• He certifies diplomatic representatives.
• He has the right of pardon at the federal level
• He executes federal laws with his signature and has them promulgated by publication in the Federal Law Gazette.
• He appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister.
• He appoints and dismisses federal ministers at the suggestion of the Prime Minister.
• He appoints and dismisses federal judges, federal officials, officers and non-commissioned officers, except as otherwise provided by orders and orders.
• After a failed vote of confidence, he has the decision to dissolve the Federal Chamber.
• He announces that the state of defense has been established and has occurred, and he makes declarations under international law when an attack occurs
• He convenes the Federal Chamber
• He initiates acts of state for important reasons and arranges state symbols.
• He approves the rules of procedure of the federal government.

Official residences

Presidential residences

Traisenbach Castle, the official place of residence of the president

Schallenberg Hunting Lodge, used by the president as a country retreat.

Since the creation of the office, the president has had his official residence in Traisenbach Castle in Laitstadt. The castle serves as a place of work and residence for the president. The Presidential Chancellery, which supports the president in his duties, is also based in Traisenbach Castle.

The Schallenberg Hunting Lodge, which is located in the southwest of Metakumburg, has been the official country residence of the Besmenian president since 1955. The Schallenberg Hunting Lodge was privately owned by various noble families for centuries, most recently by the House of Heraldstein. After the founding of the Federal Republic of East Besmenia in 1920, the hunting lodge became the property of the federal government. A museum dedicated to the Besmenian Civil War was set up in the official rooms. The remaining rooms were rented out to summer guests. Since 1955 it has served as a country residence for each of the incumbent Besmenian presidents.

Spouse of the President

Main article: First Lady of Besmenia

The wives of the Federal Presidents enjoy a special social reputation even without a formal office. State ceremonies often provide for the president to appear with his wife on special occasions. Political neutrality and restraint are expected from them. The majority of the wives of the Federal Presidents did not pursue a profession at the time of their election or afterwards.

Travel and transportation

• 
• 

List of Besmenian presidents

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Tenure (Years and days)	Party	Election
1		Hermann Köster (1855–1929)	30 September 1920	9 March 1929 †	8 years, 160 days	Independent	1920 1926
-		Wolfgang Stück (1876–1957) Acting	9 March 1929	10 June 1929	93 days	Besmenian People's Party	-
2		Siegfried Saalmann (1876–1960)	10 June 1929	10 June 1935	6 years, 0 days	Besmenian Conservative Party	1929
3		Heinrich Friedensberg (1878–1974)	10 June 1935	10 June 1941	6 years, 0 days	Besmenian People's Party	1935
4		Hugo Dautzenberg (1882–1959)	10 June 1941	1 March 1951	9 years, 264 days	Social Democratic Union	1941 1947
-		Bruno Wagner (1888–1974) Acting	1 March 1951	1 June 1951	92 days	Liberal Citizen's Party of Besmenia	-
5		Wilhelm Ganswindt (1896–1971)	1 June 1951	1 June 1963	12 years, 0 days	Besmenian People's Party	1951 1957
6		Thomas Albrecht (1892–1973)	1 June 1963	17 January 1973 †	9 years, 230 days	Social Democratic Union	1963 1969
-		Franz Missmahl (1922–2011) Acting	17 January 1973	5 April 1973	78 days	Besmenian People's Party	-
7		Erwin Pohl (1912–1992)	5 April 1973	5 April 1985	12 years, 0 days	Independent	1973 1979
8		Otto Schulz (1932-2022)	5 April 1985	5 April 1997	12 years, 0 days	Free Besmenian Citizen's Party	1985 1991
9		Gerhard Mahler (1933-2013)	5 April 1997	5 April 2003	6 years, 0 days	Social Democratic Union	1997
10		Hans Kiesinger (1945-)	5 April 2003	5 April 2015	12 years, 0 days	Besmenian People's Party	2003 2009
11		Sebastian Bergmann (1949-)	5 April 2015	5 April 2021	6 years, 0 days	Green Party of Besmenia	2015
12		Vincent von Schilling (1972-)	5 April 2021	11 January 2024	2 years, 281 days	Besmenian People's Party	2021
-		Barbara Schröder (1966) Acting	11 January 2024	1 April 2024	81 days	Besmenian People's Party	-
13		Erika Badt-Springer (1964-)	1 April 2024	Incumbent	261 days	Free Besmenian Citizen's Party	2024

Living former presidents of Besmenia

As of July 2022, there are 2 living former presidents:

• 

  Hans Kiesinger (age 79)
  (2003–2015)

• 

  Sebastian Bergmann (age 75)
  (2015-2021)

• 

  Vincent von Schilling (age 52)
  (2021–2024)

Trivia

• No former Besmenian president was alive between 1976-1985 and 1992-1997.
• Otto Schulz was the only living Besmenian president twice, first from 1997 to 2003 and then again from 2013 to 2015.
• The oldest Besmenian president when he took office was Thomas Albrecht at 70, the youngest was Vincent von Schilling at 49.