President of Carucere

President of the Republic of Carucere
Prezidan Repiblik Karuku
Presidential Emblem
Presidential Standard
Incumbent Neil Gaubina since 1 December 2018
Style	His Excellency
Status	Head of state Head of government
Residence	State House, Carucere
Seat	Kingston
Term length	Duration of Senate (four years), renewable once
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Carucere
Precursor	Governor of Carucere
Inaugural holder	Jean Préval
Formation	17 July 1957
Succession	Premier of Carucere (as Vice President)
Deputy	Vice President of Carucere

The President of Carucere, officially the President of the Republic of Carucere (Papotement: Prezidan Repiblik Karuku), is the head of state and the head of government of Carucere. Under the Constitution of Carucere the president heads the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Republic. The current president is Neil Gaubina, who took office on 1 December 2018.

The presidency was originally intended to be a ceremonial office with no real executive power, as Carucere was originally envisioned as a parliamentary republic. However political power was centralized under the Presidency by Jean Préval, who held the office for 17 years from 1957 to 1974. Today Carucere functions as a presidential republic, although it still maintains many aspects of a parliamentary system. The President is elected by a unique electoral system where the presidential candidate of the party that wins a majority in the Senate election is automatically elected to the office. If no party achieves a majority, the candidates of the top two leading parties proceed to a run off election conducted by the Senate.

History

The office of the Presidency ultimately originates from the "president" of the post-revolutionary government after the Carucerean Revolution. First held by Jana Maia, it was purely an informal institution and acted as a public figure and spokesperson of the provisional government; for this reason it is considered as a precursor to the current office of the presidency. When Jean Préval was elected president by the Senate in early 1954, the institution became increasingly formalized; Préval would use his position to mediate disputes and help draft the constitution. The office was officially created in July 1957 after the ratification of the new constitution. The drafters of the constitution intended Carucere to be a parliamentary republic with the President as a mere figurehead with the Premier as head of government. However Préval was able to extract concessions to empower the President at the last moment. This included the power to command the security forces of the country and the power to enact decrees.

As President, Préval used his popularity and the support of the Senate to exercise prerogatives beyond what was granted to him in the constitution. The President became the main executive power with the Premiership only serving to execute policy rather than creating it. As a result up until the late 1960s, power in Carucere was personalized rather than institutionalized which meant that the power of the president depended largely on President Préval's political standing. As his popularity began to wane after economic malaise caused by the Sugar Crash in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Préval successfully pushed for constitutional changes that formalized some of his prerogatives, ensuring the primacy of the presidency over the premiership, and reforming Carucere into a presidential republic in 1970.

The presidency's new position in the Carucerean political system would survive the fall of Préval from political power, as Victorin Lurel routinely exercised the powers of the President. However the political chaos following the fall of the Social Liberation Party in the mid-1970s led to difficulties in electing a President, as parties often struggled to gather the necessary majority of Senate votes to elect the President. In 1985, this electoral system was changed in favor of a system where the candidate of the largest party would automatically become President. By the late 1980s, the powers of the President were institutionalized and solidified the presidency as the center of Carucerean politics.

In 2003 the method by which the President was elected was modified once again; if no party gained a majority in the Senate, the candidates of the top two parties by vote share would proceed to a run off election hosted by the Senate, who would elect one of two candidates by a plurality vote with the necessary quorum. As a result, the Senate became king-maker for elections and reinforced executive–legislative relations, where Carucerean presidents are bound to to work closely with the legislature.

Qualification

In order to be qualified to be elected president, a candidate must:

• Be a citizen of Carucere by birth or parentage
• Have resided in Carucere for a period of seven years prior to the date of the election
• Be qualified to be elected a member of the Senate, which requires to:
  • Be a citizen of Carucere 18 years or older
  • Be able to speak and read the Gaullican language

Election

The electoral system for the President of Carucere is unique among presidential systems, as it has a combined executive-legislative election conducted by double simultaneous vote. Under the current electoral law, if a party or coalition gains a majority of the popular vote, their candidate would automatically be elected President. However if no party is able to achieve a majority, the candidates of the parties that placed first and second in the popular vote would proceed to a runoff election conducted by the Senate. A presidential candidate only requires a plurality of the votes cast to win the election, as long as there is a proper quorum.

The President serves concurrently with the Senate, with their term of office determined by the national legislative elections which are conducted every four years. The President may only be reelected once.

Powers & Duties

The Republic of Carucere is a presidential republic. However Carucere's form of presidentialism has many aspects unique to the country, and has been described by commentators as a presidential system combined with certain aspects of a parliamentary system. Although Carucere has a premier, the office only serves to implement policy designed by the president rather than create policy itself.

As part of their duties under the Constitution of Carucere, the President is required to uphold the Constitution and preserve the safety of Carucere, as the head of the executive branch of government and as the commander-in-chief of the military. To perform their duties, the president is given the powers:

• to promulgate laws. The president lacks a formal veto power but may refer the law for review by the Council of State if the President doubts its constitutionality. However if the Council approves, the president must approve the bill.
• to declare war.
• to hold a referendum regarding issues of national importance.
• to issue decrees with the full force of legislation. However decrees can be overridden if the Senate passes conflicting legislation.
• to submit legislation to the Senate. While the President lacks de jure authority to draft legislation for the Senate, the President usually asks the Premier to submit a bill on their behalf.
• to issue medals and honors for serving the nation.
• to issue pardons.
• to declare a state of emergency suspending all laws or enacting a state of martial law.
• to regulate and join treaties, alliances, and other agreements coming from foreign states according to the Constitution.
• to appoint the Premier and other members of the Cabinet.
• to appoint senior public officials.

There are significant limitations on the President's executive powers. If the Senate votes against a presidential decision, it will be declared void immediately. In addition most major decisions, such as budgetary and military matters, requires the assent of the Cabinet for a presidential decision to take effect. As a result, the President usually holds consultations with the Senate and the Cabinet before making important decisions to prevent conflict. Commentators have noted that executive-legislative relations creates a political system where the President is given immense power but only within the confines set by the Senate.

Removal

According to the Constitution of Carucere, the Senate may remove the President due to "permanent moral or physical incapacity", as declared by the Senate. However as the Senate has not defined "moral incapacitation", the Senate can initiate impeachment proceedings against the President effectively without cause. After beginning proceedings, the Senate begins a special session, where the accused has the ability to defend themselves in front of the Senate. After a debate, the Senate can remove the President from office by a two-thirds majority vote.