The Captains Regent ( Italian: ''Capitani reggenti'') are the two heads of state of the

Republic of San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

. They are elected every six months by the Grand and General Council, the country's

legislative body A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

. Normally the Regents are chosen from opposing parties and they serve a six-month term. The investiture of the captains regent takes place on 1 April and 1 October every year. This tradition dates back at least to 1243. The practice of dual heads of government ( diarchy) is derived directly from the customs of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

, equivalent to the

consuls A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

History

The establishment of the regency took place during the first half of the 13th century, when they had the role of managing justice, a task similar to competence of

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

s. During that period they were called consuls, which derived from

. The first two known consuls were elected on 12 December 1243 by the Grand and General Council with a six-month term which is still used today. At the end of the 13th century, the name of the institution started to change, as one took the title of "captain" and the other one of "defender", then in 1317 they became captain and rector. One usually belonged to the upper class, to guarantee the possession of skills necessary to govern the Republic with competence, and one to the working class. In 1972, a law was passed to abolish all the restrictions which prevented women from taking public positions. A woman,

Maria Lea Pedini-Angelini Maria Lea Pedini-Angelini (born 15 July 1954) served as a Captain Regent of San Marino from 1 April 1981 to 1 October 1981. She served with Gastone Pasolini. She was the first female head of state of San Marino and, at age 26, one of the youngest ...

, was elected Captain Regent for the first time on 1 April 1981. On 1 April 2017, for the first time two women,

Vanessa D'Ambrosio Vanessa D'Ambrosio (born 26 April 1988) was Captains Regent, Captain Regent of San Marino, serving from April until October 2017 (alongside Mimma Zavoli). Early life and education She was born in Borgo Maggiore, San Marino on 26 April 1988. She ...

and

Mimma Zavoli Mimma Zavoli (born 13 February 1963) is a Sammarinese politician who was elected as Captain Regent of San Marino and served alongside Vanessa D'Ambrosio from 1 April until 1 October 2017. She was elected to the Grand and General Council in 2012 ...

, concurrently occupied the posts of Captains Regent, until their term ended on 1 October 2017. As of 1 April 2020, after electing its 18th female Captain Regent, San Marino is the country with most

female heads of state The following is a list of women who have been elected or appointed head of state or government of their respective countries since the interwar period (1918–1939). The first list includes female presidents who are heads of state and may also ...

in the world (however, many other countries have had a female head of state for longer than the combined 10.5 years of these 18 captains regent). San_Marino_tron_kapitanow_regentow

Election

The Captains Regent are elected every six months by the Grand and General Council, and they usually belong to opposite parties to grant a minimal amount of balance and an equal supervision. The electoral procedure is disciplined by a 1945 law, which is mainly based on the Leges Statutae Republicae Sancti Marini of 1600. The pair is elected if it achieves an absolute majority; there is a

second ballot The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resu ...

if no pair gets enough votes.

Eligibility

To be eligible for election the candidate should have the following requirements: * Citizenship from birth (''

jus sanguinis ( , , ; 'right of blood') is a principle of nationality law by which citizenship is determined or acquired by the nationality or ethnicity of one or both parents. Children at birth may be citizens of a particular state if either or both of t ...

'') * Be at least 25 years old * Be a member of the Grand and General Council * Not have been captain regent in the last three years

Investiture

The investiture ceremony rakes place 1 April and 1 October every year, and is described by Leges Statutae Republicae Sancti Marini. In the morning, in the Piazza della Libertà, the

Sammarinese Armed Forces The Sammarinese Armed Forces ( it, Forze Armate Sammarinesi) refers to the national military defence forces of the Republic of San Marino. It is one of the smallest military forces in the world, with its different branches having varied functions ...

are assembled and the flag raising ceremony takes place. The newly elected Captains Regent then procede from the

Palazzo Pubblico The Palazzo Pubblico (''town hall'') is a palace in Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. Construction began in 1297 to serve as the seat of the Republic of Siena's government, which consisted of the Podestà and Council of Nine, the elected officia ...

to the Basilica of San Marino where a religious rite is celebrated by the bishop of

Bishop of San Marino The Italian Catholic Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro was until 1977 the historic Diocese of Montefeltro. It is a Latin suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia.Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. The Captains Regent are the

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

, a function which they carry out as a single body, with a reciprocal right of

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

. They have the right to be addressed with the

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

title of

Excellency Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right ...

. The Captains Regent are impartial and their power is mainly symbolic, as their main duty is to represent the country and to guarantee the constitutional order. They supervise the Grand and General Council, the Congress of State and the Council of XII but without any right to vote or to decide. They dissolve the parliament when the legislature is over or when it is unable to form a stable government. The Captains Regent also have the power to promulgate and order the publication of the laws approved by the Grand and General Council.

Regency Syndicate

The Captains Regent cannot be prosecuted in any way during their mandate, at the end of which they are subject to the Regency Syndicate. This judgement, established by the Statues in 1499, is now fulfilled by the

Guarantors' Panel on the Constitutionality of Rules The Guarantors' Panel on the Constitutionality of Rules (Italian: Collegio Garante della Costituzionalità delle Norme) is the highest court of San Marino in matters of constitutional law. The institution was established with Constitutional Revi ...

, following the revision of the Declaration on the Citizens' Rights. The procedure provides that, within fifteen days after the conclusion of their mandate, every citizen registered in the electoral lists may submit claims against the Captains Regent "for what they have and have not done" during their mandate.

List of captains regent

References

External links

Republic of San Marino - Captains Regent
{{Europe heads of state and government Politics of San Marino * 1243 establishments in Europe Collective heads of state