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
Residence	State House, Carucere
Seat	Jameston
Appointer	Direct election
Term length	Four years
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Carucere
Precursor	Governor of Carucere
Inaugural holder	Charles Mathieu Decaen
Formation	17 July 1954
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 of Carucere. Under the Constitution of Carucere, the president holds the highest office of the federal government as chief diplomat and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Republic. The current president is Neil Gaubina, who took office on 1 December 2018.

Under the parliamentary system that existed from 1954 until the constitution of 1972, the Presidency was a completely ceremonial office with no real executive power. Under the new constitution, the office were granted additional executive powers to increase separation of powers. The Presidency achieved its current role under Jean Preval, who held the office for 12 years from 1972 to 1984. Today Carucere functions as a de-facto semi-presidential republic where the President has the leading role in the government as allowed by the Senate. The office is elected by a unique electoral system inspired by consociationalist principles; a candidate must win an absolute majority nationwide and at least 33 percent of the votes in six of the eleven provinces of Carucere.

Role

Today Carucere has a de-facto semi-presidential system, with the President as the country's most senior office. Although it is the Premier and the Senate that oversee and direct much of the country's actual governmental affairs, it is ultimately the President that decides the direction and priorities of the Government. While the Premier is responsible to the Senate and their political party or coalition, traditionally the President is "above" ethnic partisanism, drawing their legitimacy from a broad coalition of voters.

The role of the President historically varied. As President, Preval used his popularity and continuing political instability 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, the President's power in Carucere was personalized rather than institutionalized which meant that the power of the president depended largely on President Preval's political standing. Following his retirement in 1984, the Premier and the Senate reasserted their authority and restoring the Premier as de facto head of government. However the President remained the leading authority of the federal government.

The President's greatest power is their ability to appoint the Premier of Carucere. However, since the Senate must approve the election by a majority vote, the Premier named by the president must be supported by the Senate, or the candidate will be denied. The President has the discretionary power to dissolve the Senate when they see fit, such as when the Premier is unable to govern due to the Senate's disapproval. As a result, the President has the ability to guide the direction of national politics in the country.

The President must promulgate all laws enacted by the Senate or the Government for them to come into force. However the President has the authority to veto laws, although the Senate can override this by a two-thirds majority vote. The president may also refer the law for review by the Council of State if the President doubts its constitutionality. The President also serves as chief legislator by enacting decrees with the full force of law and by submitting legislation to the Senate.

The President serves as chief diplomat and the supreme commander of the Carucere Defence Force. National security and foreign affairs are the sole domain of the President; thus the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Minister of National Security report to the President directly. As a result, the President oversees Carucere's international relations, international trade, internal security, and disaster response.

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 35 years or older
  • Be able to speak and read the Gaullican language

Election

The electoral system for the President of Carucere is unique among semi-presidential systems, reflecting its consociational principles. Under the current electoral law, presidential candidates are nominated by political parties running for the Senate to stand for a direct election. To win outright a candidate must win more than half of the total votes cast in the election and at least 33% of the votes cast in six of the eleven provinces of Carucere. If no candidate achieves this, the election proceeds to a run-off election between the top two candidates with the most votes, where candidate with the higher number of nationwide votes in the second round wins. The President may only be reelected once and are limited to two full terms in office.

Powers & Duties

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 state and as the commander-in-chief of the military. To perform their duties, the president is given the powers:

• to declare war.
• to promulgate laws.
• to veto laws, decree-laws, regulatory decrees and other Government decrees.
• to refer laws and decrees for constitutional review by the Council of State.
• to dissolve the Senate and call new elections if a Government fails to form.
• to appoint the Premier and other members of the Cabinet.
• to hold a referendum regarding issues of national importance.
• to issue decrees with the full force of legislation. However decrees can be vetoed by a majority vote from the Senate or overridden if the Senate passes conflicting legislation.
• to submit legislation to the Senate or amendments to laws previously enacted. Such bills may be submitted with a declaration of urgent consideration.
• to issue medals and honors for serving the nation.
• to issue pardons.
• to declare a state of emergency suspending 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 senior public officials.

Despite the President's central role, there are significant limitations on the President's executive powers. A situation where the majority of the Senate does not unreservedly support the President, is common in Carucerean politics. As a result, the President's power is usually restrained since their de facto power relies on a supportive Premier and Senate, and is not directly wielded by the President. 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 internal disputes. Commentators have noted that executive-legislative relations creates a political system where the President is given significant 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.