President of Carucere

President of the National Council
Prezidan Nasyonal Konsey
Presidential Emblem
Presidential Standard
Incumbent Neil Gaubina since 1 December 2018
Style	His Excellency
Status	Head of state
Member of	National Council
Residence	State House, Carucere
Seat	Kingston
Appointer	Direct election
Term length	Four years
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Carucere
Precursor	Governor of Carucere
Inaugural holder	Jean Preval
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 National Council (Papotement: Prezidan Nasyonal Konsey), is the head of state of Carucere. Under the Constitution of Carucere, the president is head of the National Council which collectively serves as head of government and also serves 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 and won reelection in 2022.

Under the parliamentary system that existed from independence in 1954 until the constitution of 1972, the Presidency was a completely ceremonial office with no real executive power. The Presidency achieved its current role under the constitution of 1972 and Jean Preval, who held the office for 12 years from 1972 to 1984. Today Carucere functions as a de-facto presidential republic where the President has the leading role in a collective government. The office is elected by a unique electoral system centered around 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 fusion of a presidential and a collegiate system, with the President as the country's most senior office who serves under a collective executive that serves as head of government. Although it is the National Council as a whole that oversees and directs 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 President's greatest power is their ability to allocate portfolios among, reshuffle, or dismiss deputies to the National Council. However, since the Senate must approve new appointments by a majority vote, the deputies 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 serves as chief diplomat and the supreme commander of the Carucere Defence Force. Internal 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.

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.

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.

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 where candidate with the higher number of nationwide votes 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 which leads to the resignation of the Government.
• to appoint and manage the members of the National Council.
• to hold a referendum regarding issues of national importance.
• 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 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.

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.