President of Rensselaerswijck
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
President Willem Lodewijk | |
|---|---|
 Presidential Lodewijk after being inaugarated. | |
| Born | July 10th, 1859 |
| Occupation | President of Rensselaerswijck |
The President of Rensselaerswijck is the top position in the Executive branch, as well as the head of state. The president directly controls the executive branch. The president may serve a total of two terms of 4 years leading to a maximum total of 8 years in office maximum. The Rensselaer constitution grants the office of the Presidency the power to enforce federal law and legislation passed by the Legislative branch. The constitution also grants the President the role of chief diplomat in foreign affairs, the ability to appoint federal judges, and nominate federal officials to go upon review and admission by the Parliament. Officially under the constitution, the President is of equal status and power as Deputy President and one cannot function without the other. Historically, however, the power balance between the two positions has changed immensely.
Official Powers
Under the Constitution
The constitution of Rensselaerswijck delegates that the President shall "carry out all federal affairs, be it the enforcement of federal legislation or the appointment of federal officals." The President is barred in Article 3 of the Constitution from impeding, abolishing, or dissolving the Legislature in any way, shape or form with penalty of immediate removal. The only time a President may dissolve Parliament is with the direct consent of the Deputy President as well as a temporary motion from the Supreme Court to dissolve. This lack of executive power from the Presidency has drawn criticism from right-leaning groups in the past, yet no significant action has been made to amend.
The President is also tasked with being the top diplomat in foreign affairs, and is expected to be the figurehead of the nation abroad. The President is expected to personally sign all treaties and foreign agreements, yet with the unrealistic nature of this occuring in reality the Supreme Court ruled in 1865 that the President "under the constitution is not legally obligated to sign every parcel, treaty, or agreement signed towards the government of Rensselaerswijck or affiliated branches."
The President is offically granted the power to pursue a Vote of No-Confidence against the Deputy President without any pre-requisites, although the actual removal from office would require a 2/3rds majority in Parliament. To date, no Deputy President has been voted out and removed by consequence of a President's order.
Non-Constitutionally Obligated Powers
Some presidents have taken upon themselves to delegate more or less powers. President Martens (s. 1926-1929) had attempted the closest attempt at broadening executive power in all of Rensselaerswijck history. During this time, his Deputy President was a mere figurehead and handed near power to the Executive. This all ended in 1929, when the Supreme Court made an emergency motion to dismiss government, citing the violation of the Rensselaerswijck Constitution.
Excerpt from the Supreme Court in Supreme Court v. Martens Administration:
"After careful review, the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Rensselaerswijck finds that the Martens Administration under President Martens be in criminal contempt of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Rensselaerswijck by violating Article 3 Section 1, which designates the offices of President and Deputy President to be equal bodies with shared powers. The administration has passed sweeping laws in Parliament which designate more and more power to the Presidency, while the current de-facto Deputy President allows such reforms to be taken. These reforms stand in direct violation of the Constitution, and all responsible will be charged with criminal contempt. The immediate dissolution of government at midnight tonight shall occur, with a caretaker government lead by the opposition until snap elections can be held."'
President Martens was the first and only president to be charged and indited by the Department of Judicial Affairs, whom upon request from the Supreme Court, indited and subsequently arrested the President, Deputy President, and prominent members of Marten's political party the VNH, and subsequent fallout has rocked the political climate of the country ever since. The party was officially banned in the proceeding snap elections, and the events relating to it have been referred to as the Martens Administration Scandal.
Despite not officially being in the constitution, it is long-standing precedent that the President be present for the convening of the Parliament everytime a new government is formed. The constitution only mandates the Deputy President be present, but as a sign of national unity the Presidency has never failed to attend except for under the Martens administration.
Lodewijk Administration
1929 Snap Elections
Willem Lodewijk has been President of Rensselaerswijck since the removal of the Martens administration. During his tenure, he served as caretaker President and then went on to win the Presidency against the newly formed Republican Unity Party in the 1929 Rensselaerswijck Snap Elections, despite losing in Parliament to the new party. He ran for re-election in the pre-defined 1930 Rensselaerswijck General Elections winning more seats in Parliament. The Republican Unity Party lost its absolute majority in government, forcing it to lead a coalition along with the Mercantile Interests Party, President Lodewijk's party. The President has used the coalition to advance his party's goals of Pro-Business and Merchant Interests, although critics accuse the incumbent of corruption by trying to influence the Legislature.
Supreme Court Intervention
On New Years 1933, Lodewijk announced he would run for re-election once again for a third term. Opposition members immediately began decrying the move as a violation of the constitution. A motion of no-confidence was proposed, but it failed an initial vote and did not curry the favor of the Deputy President.
In a subsequent lawsuit against the President, the Supreme Court intervened and overruled a Nieuw Hoop Federal Circuit Judge, ruling 6-3 that the President had technically served only one term, and that the any service in office before the 1930 Rensselaerswijck General Elections would be deemed as not a single term. President Lodewijk hailed the ruling, reportedly stating that "the Supreme Court has decided I am not another Martens."