President is a common title for the
head of state in most
republics. The president of a nation is, generally speaking, the head of the government and the fundamental leader of the country or the ceremonial head of state.
The functions exercised by a president vary according to the form of
government. In
parliamentary republic
A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). There are a number ...
s, they are usually, but not always, limited to those of the head of state and are thus largely ceremonial. In
presidential
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...
, selected parliamentary (e.g.
Botswana and
South Africa), and
semi-presidential republics, the role of the president is more prominent, encompassing also (in most cases) the functions of the
head of government.
In authoritarian regimes, a
dictator or leader of a
one-party state may also be called a president.
The titles "Mr. President" and Madam President may apply to a person holding the title of president or presiding over certain other governmental bodies. "Mr. President" has subsequently been used by governments to refer to their heads of state. It is the conventional translation of non-
English titles such as ''Monsieur le Président'' for the
president of the French Republic. It also has a long history of usage as the title of the presiding officers of legislative and judicial bodies. The
speaker of the House of Commons of Canada
The speaker of the House of Commons (french: président de la Chambre des communes) is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. A member of Parliament (MP), they are elected at the beginning of each new parliament b ...
is addressed as ''président de la Chambre des communes'' in French and as ''Mr. Speaker'' in English.
History
In the United States
The 1787
Constitution of the United States did not specify the manner of address for the president. When George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789, the administering of the oath of office ended with the proclamation: "Long live George Washington, President of the United States." No title other than the name of the office of the executive was officially used at the inauguration. The question of a presidential title was being debated in Congress at the time, however, having become official legislative business with
Richard Henry Lee's motion of April 23, 1789. Lee's motion asked congress to consider "what titles it will be proper to annex to the offices of President and Vice President of the United Statesif any other than those given in the Constitution".
Vice President John Adams, in his role as President of the
United States Senate, organized a
congressional committee. There Adams agitated for the adoption of the style of ''Highness'' (as well as the title of ''Protector of Their
he United States'
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
Liberties'') for the President.
Adams and Lee were among the most outspoken proponents of an exalted presidential title.
Others favored the variant of ''Electoral Highness'' or the lesser ''Excellency'', the latter of which was vociferously opposed by Adams, who contended that it was far beneath the presidential dignity, as the executives of the states, some of which were also titled "President" (e.g. the
President of Pennsylvania
The governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the head of state and head of government of the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as commander-in-chief of the Commonwealth's military forces.
The governor has a duty to enforc ...
), at that time often enjoyed the style of ''Excellency''; Adams said the president "would be leveled with colonial governors or with functionaries from German princedoms" if he were to use the style of ''Excellency''. Adams and Richard Henry Lee both feared that cabals of powerful senators would unduly influence a weak executive, and saw an exalted title as a way of strengthening the presidency. On further consideration, Adams deemed even ''Highness'' insufficient and instead proposed that the executive, both the president and the vice president (i.e., himself), be styled ''Majesty'' to prevent the "great danger" of an executive with insufficient dignity.
Adams' efforts were met with widespread derision and perplexion;
Thomas Jefferson called them "the most superlatively ridiculous thing I ever heard of", while
Benjamin Franklin considered it "absolutely mad".
Washington consented to the demands of
James Madison and the
United States House of Representatives that the title be altered to "Mr. President".
Nonetheless, later "The Honorable" became the standard title of the President in formal address, and "His/Her Excellency" became the title of the President when addressed formally internationally.
Historically, the title was reserved for the
incumbent president only, and was not to be used for former presidents, holding that it was not proper to use the title as a courtesy title when addressing a former president. According to the official website of the United States of America, the correct way to address a letter is to use "The Honorable John Doe" and the correct salutation is "Mr. Doe".
In the United States, the title "Mr. President" is used in a number of formal instances as well: for example anyone presiding over the
United States Senate is addressed as "Mr./Madam President", especially the Vice President, who is the
President of the Senate
President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies.
The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...
. Other uses of the title include presidents of state and local legislatures, however only the president of the United States uses the title outside of formal sessions.
In other countries
Thomas Hungerford, who became the first
speaker of the English House of Commons in 1376, used the title, "Mr. Speaker", a precedent followed by subsequent speakers of the House of Commons. This influenced parliamentary usage in France.
By the 18th century, the president of a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
parlement
A ''parlement'' (), under the French Ancien Régime, was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 parlements, the oldest and most important of which was the Parlement of Paris. While both the modern Fre ...
was addressed as "Monsieur le Président". In
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 novel ''
Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' ("Dangerous Liaisons"), the wife of a magistrate in a parlement is referred to as Madame la Présidente de Tourvel ("Madam President of Tourvel"). When the
Second French Republic was established in 1848, "Monsieur le Président" became the title of the president of the French Republic.
The
speaker of the House of Commons of Canada
The speaker of the House of Commons (french: président de la Chambre des communes) is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. A member of Parliament (MP), they are elected at the beginning of each new parliament b ...
, established in 1867, is also addressed as "Monsieur le Président" or "Madame la Présidente" in French.
Description
The title ''president'' is derived from the
Latin ''prae-'' "before" + ''sedere'' "to sit". As such, it originally designated the officer who presides over or "sits before" a gathering and ensures that debate is conducted according to the
rules of order (''see also''
chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
and
speaker), but today it most commonly refers to an executive official in any social organization. Early examples are from the universities of
Oxford and
Cambridge (from 1464) and the founding
president of the Royal Society William Brouncker in 1660. This usage survives today in the title of such offices as "
President of the Board of Trade
The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. This is a committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centu ...
" and "
Lord President of the Council
The lord president of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the ...
" in the
United Kingdom, as well as "President of the Senate" in the
United States (one of the roles constitutionally assigned to the
vice president). The officiating priest at certain
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
religious services, too, is sometimes called the "president" in this sense. However, the most common modern usage is as the title of a
head of state in a
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 ...
.
In pre-revolutionary
France, the president of a ''
Parlement
A ''parlement'' (), under the French Ancien Régime, was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 parlements, the oldest and most important of which was the Parlement of Paris. While both the modern Fre ...
'' evolved into a powerful
magistrate, a member of the so-called ''
noblesse de robe'' ("
nobility of the gown"), with considerable judicial as well as administrative authority. The name referred to his primary role of presiding over trials and other hearings. In the 17th and 18th centuries, seats in the ''Parlements'', including presidencies, became effectively hereditary, since the holder of the office could ensure that it would pass to an heir by paying the crown a special tax known as the ''
paulette''. The post of "first president" (''premier président''), however, could be held by only the
King's nominees. The ''Parlements'' were abolished by the
French Revolution. In modern France the chief judge of a court is known as its president (''président de la cour'').
The word "presidents" is also used in the
King James Bible
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...
at
Daniel
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...
6:2 to translate the
Aramaic term סָרְכִ֣ין ''(sā·rə·ḵîn)'', a word of likely Persian origin, meaning "officials", "commissioners", "overseers" or "chiefs".
The first usage of the word ''president'' to denote the highest official in a government was during the
Commonwealth of England. After the abolition of the monarchy the English
Council of State, whose members were elected by the House of Commons, became the
executive government of the Commonwealth. The Council of State was the successor of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
, which had previously been headed by the
lord president; its successor the Council of State was also headed by a lord president, the first of which was
John Bradshaw. However, the lord president alone was not head of state, because that office was vested in the council as a whole.
The modern usage of the term ''president'' to designate a single person who is the
head of state of a
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 ...
can be traced directly to the
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...
of 1787, which created the office of
President of the United States. Previous American governments had included "presidents" (such as the
president of the Continental Congress or the president of the
Massachusetts Provincial Congress), but these were presiding officers in the older sense, with no executive authority. It has been suggested that the executive use of the term was borrowed from early American colleges and universities, which were usually headed by a ''president''. British universities were headed by an official called the "
Chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
" (typically a ceremonial position) while the chief administrator held the title of "
Vice-Chancellor". But America's first institutions of higher learning (such as
Harvard University and
Yale University) didn't resemble a full-sized university so much as one of its constituent colleges. A number of colleges at
Cambridge University featured an official called the "president". The head, for instance, of
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...
was called the ''master'' and his second the ''president''. The first president of Harvard,
Henry Dunster, had been educated at Magdalene. Some have speculated that he borrowed the term out of a sense of humility, considering himself only a temporary place-holder. The presiding official of Yale College, originally a "rector" (after the usage of continental European universities), became "president" in 1745.
A common style of address for presidents, Mr/Mrs. President", is borrowed from British Parliamentary tradition, in which the presiding Speaker of the
House of Commons is referred to as "Mr/Mrs. Speaker". Coincidentally, this usage resembles the older French custom of referring to the president of a ''parlement'' as "''Monsieur/Madame le Président''", a form of address that in modern France applies to both the
president of the Republic and to chief judges. Similarly, the Speaker of the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
is addressed by
francophone
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
parliamentarians as "''Monsieur/Madame le/la Président(e)''". In
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's novel ''
Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' of 1782, the character identified as ''Madame la Présidente de Tourvel'' ("Madam President of Tourvel") is the wife of a magistrate in a ''parlement''. The fictional name Tourvel refers not to the ''parlement'' in which the magistrate sits, but rather, in imitation of an aristocratic title, to his private estate.
Once the United States adopted the title of "president" for its republican head of state, many other nations followed suit.
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
became the first presidential republic in
Latin America when
Henri Christophe assumed the title in 1807. Almost all the American nations that became independent from
Spain in the early 1810s and 1820s chose a US-style president as their chief executive. The first European president was the president of the
Italian Republic of 1802, a
client state of revolutionary France, in the person of
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. The first
African president was the
president of Liberia
The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Prior to the independence of Liberia ...
(1848), while the first
Asian president was the
president of the Republic of China
The president of the Republic of China, now often referred to as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (ROC), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The position once had aut ...
(1912).
In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the powers of presidencies have varied from country to country. The spectrum of power has included presidents-for-life and hereditary presidencies to ceremonial heads of state.
Presidents in the countries with a democratic or representative form of
government are usually elected for a specified period of time and in some cases may be re-elected by the same process by which they are appointed, i.e. in many nations, periodic popular elections. The powers vested in such presidents vary considerably. Some presidencies, such as that of
Ireland, are largely ceremonial, whereas other systems vest the president with substantive powers such as the appointment and dismissal of
prime ministers or
cabinets
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...
, the power to declare
war, and powers of
veto on legislation. In many nations the president is also the
commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces, though once again this can range from a ceremonial role to one with considerable authority.
Presidential systems
In almost all states with a
presidential system
A presidential system, or single executive system, is a form of government in which a head of government, typically with the title of president, leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch in systems that use separati ...
of government, the president exercises the functions of
head of state and
head of government, i.e. the president directs the executive branch of government. When a president is not only head of state, but also head of government, this is known in Europe as a ''President of the Council'' (from the French ''Président du Conseil''), used 1871–1940 and 1944–1958 in the
Third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
and
Fourth French Republics. In the
United States the president has always been both Head of State and Head of Government and has always had the title of President.
Presidents in this system are either directly elected by popular vote or indirectly elected by an electoral college or some other democratically elected body.
In the
United States, the
president is indirectly elected by the
Electoral College made up of electors chosen by voters in the presidential election. In most states of the United States, each elector is committed to voting for a specified candidate determined by the popular vote in each state, so that the people, in voting for each elector, are in effect voting for the candidate. However, for various reasons the numbers of electors in favour of each candidate are unlikely to be proportional to the popular vote. Thus, in five close United States elections (
1824
May 7: The almost completely deaf Beethoven premieres his Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) , Ninth Symphony
Events
January–March
* January 8 – After much controversy, Michael Faraday is finally elected as a member of the Royal Society, ...
,
1876
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin.
** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol.
* February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...
,
1888
In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...
,
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
), the candidate with the most popular votes still lost the election.
In
Mexico, the
president is directly elected for a six-year term by popular vote. The candidate who wins the most votes is elected president even without an absolute majority. The president is allowed to serve only one term.
In
Brazil, the
president is directly elected for a four-year term by popular vote. A candidate has to have more than 50% of the valid votes. If no candidates achieve a majority of the votes, there is a
runoff election
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 resul ...
between the two candidates with most votes. Again, a candidate needs a majority of the vote to be elected. In Brazil, a president cannot be elected to more than two consecutive terms, but there is no limit on the number of terms a president can serve.
Many
South American,
Central American,
African and some
Asian nations follow the presidential model.
Semi-presidential systems
A second system is the
semi-presidential system
A semi-presidential republic, is a republic in which a president exists alongside a prime minister and a cabinet, with the latter two being responsible to the legislature of the state. It differs from a parliamentary republic in that it has a ...
, also known as the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
model. In this system, as in the parliamentary system, there are both a president and a prime minister; but unlike the parliamentary system, the president may have significant day-to-day power. For example, in France, when their party controls the majority of seats in the
National Assembly, the
president can operate closely with the parliament and
prime minister, and work towards a common agenda. When the National Assembly is controlled by their opponents, however, the president can find themselves marginalized with the opposition party prime minister exercising most of the power. Though the prime minister remains an appointee of the president, the president must obey the rules of parliament, and select a leader from the house's majority holding party. Thus, sometimes the president and prime minister can be allies, sometimes rivals; the latter situation is known in France as
cohabitation. Variants of the French semi-presidential system, developed at the beginning of the
Fifth Republic by
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
, are used in
France,
Portugal,
Romania,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
and several
post-colonial countries which have emulated the French model. In Finland, although the 2000 constitution moved towards a ceremonial presidency, the system is still formally semi-presidential, with the
president of Finland
The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...
retaining e.g. foreign policy and appointment powers.
Parliamentary republics
The
parliamentary republic
A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). There are a number ...
, is a parliamentary system in which the presidency is largely ceremonial with either ''
de facto'' or no significant executive authority (such as the
president of Austria
The president of Austria (german: Bundespräsident der Republik Österreich) is the head of state of the Republic of Austria. Though theoretically entrusted with great power by the Constitution, in practice the president is largely a ceremonial ...
) or ''
de jure'' no significant executive power (such as the
president of Ireland), and the executive powers rests with the
prime minister who automatically assumes the post as head of a majority party or coalition, but takes oath of office administered by the president. However, the president is head of the civil service, commander in chief of the armed forces and in some cases can dissolve parliament. Countries using this system include
Austria,
Armenia,
Albania,
Bangladesh,
Czech Republic,
Germany,
Greece,
Hungary,
Iceland,
India,
Ireland,
Israel,
Italy,
Malta,
Pakistan, and
Singapore.
A variation of the
parliamentary republic
A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). There are a number ...
is a system with an
executive president in which the president is the head of state and the government but unlike a
presidential system
A presidential system, or single executive system, is a form of government in which a head of government, typically with the title of president, leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch in systems that use separati ...
, is elected by and accountable to a parliament, and referred to as president. Countries using this system include
Botswana,
Nauru
Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...
and
South Africa.
Dictatorships
In
dictatorships, the title of president is frequently taken by self-appointed or military-backed leaders. Such is the case in many states:
Idi Amin in
Uganda,
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...
in
Zaire,
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
in the
Philippines,
Suharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
in
Indonesia, and
Saddam Hussein in
Iraq are some examples. Other presidents in authoritarian states have wielded only symbolic or no power such as
Craveiro Lopes in
Portugal and
Joaquín Balaguer under the "Trujillo Era" of the
Dominican Republic.
President for Life is a title assumed by some
dictators to try to ensure their authority or legitimacy is never questioned. Presidents like
Alexandre Pétion
Alexandre Sabès Pétion (; April 2, 1770 – March 29, 1818) was the first president of the Republic of Haiti from 1807 until his death in 1818. He is acknowledged as one of Haiti's founding fathers; a member of the revolutionary quartet that ...
,
Rafael Carrera,
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
and
François Duvalier
François Duvalier (; 14 April 190721 April 1971), also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician of French Martiniquan descent who served as the President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. He was elected president in the 1957 general election on ...
died in office.
Kim Il-sung was named
Eternal President of the Republic after his death.
Collective presidency
Only a tiny minority of modern republics do not have a single head of state. Some examples of this are:
*
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, where the headship of state is collectively vested in the seven-member
Swiss Federal Council, although there is also a
president of the Confederation, who is a member of the Federal Council elected by the
Federal Assembly (the Swiss
parliament) for a year (
constitutional convention Constitutional convention may refer to:
* Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement
*Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...
mandates that the post rotates every
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
).
* The
Captains Regent of
San Marino elected by the
Grand and General Council.
* In the former
Soviet Union from 1922 until 1938 there existed an office of collective head of state known as the
Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union
The All-Union Central Executive Committee (russian: Всесоюзный Центральный исполнительный комитет, Vsesoyuznyy Tsentral'nyy ispolnitel'nyy komitet) was the most authoritative governing body of the USSR d ...
that consisted of four and later seven chairmen representing the central executive committees of all
union republics from
Russia,
Belarus,
Ukraine,
Trans-Caucasusia and from 1925
Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan,
Tajikistan. From 1927 until 1989 however, real power was exercised by the
General Secretary
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
of the
Soviet Communist Party. After 1938, the
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet executed powers of a collective
head of state, and its
chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
was often called "president" in the
West, though a singular head of state named "
president" was later established in 1990.
*
Yugoslavia after the
death of
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
, where a
presidency consisting of members from each
federal unit ruled the country until its
breakup
A relationship breakup, breakup, or break-up is the termination of a relationship. The act is commonly termed "dumping omeone in slang when it is initiated by one partner. The term is less likely to be applied to a married couple, where a brea ...
.
*
Ukraine, in 1918–1920 there existed
Directorate
Directorate may refer to:
Contemporary
*Directorates of the Scottish Government
* Directorate-General, a type of specialised administrative body in the European Union
* Directorate-General for External Security, the French external intelligence ag ...
composed of seven leaders of parliamentary factions and served as a collective head of state.
* The three-member
Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine, separator=" / ", Предсједништво Босне и Херцеговине) is a three-member body which collectively serves as head of state of ...
contains a member from each of the country's largest ethnic groups and serves as the collective head of state of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
*
National Council of Government in
Uruguay from 1952 until 1967
*
Junta of National Reconstruction in
Nicaragua from 1979 until 1985
One-party states
The
President of China
The president of China, officially titled the president of the People's Republic of China, is the List of state representatives of the People's Republic of China, state representative of the China, People's Republic of China, which on its own ...
is the
head of state of the
People's Republic of China. Under the
country's constitution, the presidency is a largely
ceremonial office with limited power. However, since 1993, as a matter of convention, the presidency has been held simultaneously by the
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, the
top leader in the
single-party system.
In China between 1982 and 2018, the constitution stipulated that the president could not serve more than two consecutive terms. During the
Mao era and also since 2018, there were no
term limits
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...
attached to this office. In 2018, the term limits of the presidency were abolished, but its powers and ceremonial role were unchanged.
Presidential symbols
As the country's head of state, in most countries the president is entitled to certain perquisites, and may have a prestigious residence, often a lavish mansion or palace, sometimes more than one (e.g. summer and winter residences, or a country retreat) Customary symbols of office may include an official uniform, decorations, a presidential seal, coat of arms, flag and other visible accessories, as well as military honours such as
gun salutes,
ruffles and flourishes, and a presidential guard. A common presidential symbol is the
presidential sash
A presidential sash is a cloth sash worn by presidents of many nations in the world. Such sashes are worn by presidents in Africa, Asia, Europe and, most notably, in Latin America.
The sash is an important symbol of the continuity of the preside ...
worn most often by presidents in
Latin America and
Africa as a symbol of the continuity of the office.
Presidential chronologies
United Nations member countries in columns, other entities at the beginning:
*
European Commission
*
List of presidents of European Union institutions
*
List of presidents of the Soviet Union (
Leaders)
Titles for non-heads of state
As head of government
Some countries with parliamentary systems use a term meaning/translating as "president" (in some languages indistinguishable from chairman) for the head of parliamentary government, often as President of the Government,
President of the Council of Ministers or
President of the Executive Council.
However, such an official is explicitly not the president of the ''country''. These officials are called "president" using an older sense of the word, to denote the fact that the official heads the ''
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
''. A separate
head of state generally exists in their country who instead serves as the president or monarch of the country.
Thus, such officials are really
premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
s, and to avoid confusion are often described simply as 'prime minister' when being mentioned internationally.
There are several examples for this kind of presidency:
* The
Prime Minister of Spain is officially referred to as the president of the Government of
Spain, and informally known as the "president". Spain is also a kingdom with a reigning
king.
* The official title of the
Italian Prime Minister is
President of the Council of Ministers (''
Italian Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri'')
* Under the French
Third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
and the
Fourth Republics, the "
President of the Council" (of ministersa prime minister) was the head of government, with the
President of the Republic a largely symbolic figurehead.
* From 1963 until 1992, the head of government of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the
President of the
Federal Executive Council after the
1963 Constitution abolished the office of
Prime Minister of Yugoslavia
The prime minister of Yugoslavia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Премијер Југославије, Premijer Jugoslavije) was the head of government of the Yugoslavia, Yugoslav state, from the Creation of Yugoslavia, creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croa ...
and transferred its functions to the President of the Federal Executive Council. Despite this, foreign media sources continued to refer to individuals holding the office of President of the Federal Executive Council as being the "Prime Minister of Yugoslavia".
* The
Prime minister of the
Irish Free State from 1922 to 1937 was titled
President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. At the same time, the Irish Free State was a constitutional monarchy with a reigning monarch, the
King of Ireland
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
, as well as a resident
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
carrying out many head of state functions.
* Under the
constitutional monarchies of
Brazil and
Portugal, the president of the Council of Ministers (''
Portuguese Presidente do Conselho de Ministros'') was the head of government, with the
Monarch being the head of State. Under the
Portuguese First and
Second Republics, the head of government was the president of the
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
(''Portuguese Presidente do Ministério'') and then the president of the Council of Ministers, with the
president of the Republic as the head of State.
* The official title of the
Croatian prime minister
, type = Head of Government
, member_of =
, reports_to = Croatian Parliament
, appointer = Croatian Parliament
, nominator = President of Croatia
, termlength = At the pleasure of the parliamentary majority. Parliamentary elections must ...
is President of the Government of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Predsjednik Vlade Republike Hrvatske).
* The official title of the
Polish prime minister
The President of the Council of Ministers ( pl, Prezes Rady Ministrów, lit=Chairman of the Council of Ministers), colloquially referred to as the prime minister (), is the head of the cabinet and the head of government of Poland. The responsib ...
is
President of the Council of Ministers (''
Polish Prezes Rady Ministrów'').
* In British constitutional practice, the chairman of an
Executive Council Executive Council may refer to:
Government
* Executive Council (Commonwealth countries), a constitutional organ that exercises executive power and advises the governor
* Executive Council of Bern, the government of the Swiss canton of Bern
* Ex ...
, acting in such a capacity, is known as a president of the Executive Council. Usually this person is the
Governor and it always stays like that.
* Between 1918 and 1934,
Estonia had no separate head of state. Both
prime ministers (1918–1920) and
state elder
The Head of State of Estonia or State Elder ( et, riigivanem) was the official title of the Estonian head of state from 1920 to 1937. He combined some of the functions held by a president and prime minister in most other democracies.
According t ...
s (1920–1934) often translated as "presidents") were elected by the parliament.
*The head of government of
Iran is styled as the "
President". The Iranian head of state is the
Supreme Leader, to whom the president is subordinate.
Other executive positions
Sub-national
''President'' can also be the title of the chief executive at a lower administrative level, such as the
parish president
A parish is an administrative division used by several countries. To distinguish it from an ''ecclesiastical parish'', the term ''civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is ...
s of the
parishes of the
U.S. state of
Louisiana, the presiding member of city council for villages in the
U.S. state of
Illinois, or the
municipal president
A ''presidente municipal'' (English: "municipal president") is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. This title was also used in the Philippines under the Spanish and American colonization; it is comparable to a mayor of the town or city ...
s of
Mexico's
municipalities. Perhaps the best known sub-national presidents are the
borough presidents of the
five boroughs
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awar ...
of
New York City.
=Poland
=
In Poland the ''President of the City'' ( pl, Prezydent miasta) is the executive authority of the municipality elected in direct elections, the equivalent of the
mayor. The Office of the President (Mayor) is also found in Germany and Switzerland.
=Russia
=
Governors of
ethnic republics in the
Russian Federation used to have the title of President, occasionally alongside other, secondary titles such as ''Chairman of the Government'' (also used by
Prime Minister of Russia
The chairman of the government of the Russian Federation, also informally known as the prime minister, is the nominal head of government of Russia. Although the post dates back to 1905, its current form was established on 12 December 1993 fo ...
). This likely reflects the origin of Russian republics as homelands for various ethnic groups: while all
federal subjects of Russia
The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation (russian: субъекты Российской Федерации, subyekty Rossiyskoy Federatsii) or simply as the subjects of the federation (russian ...
are currently ''
de jure''
equal
Equal(s) may refer to:
Mathematics
* Equality (mathematics).
* Equals sign (=), a mathematical symbol used to indicate equality.
Arts and entertainment
* ''Equals'' (film), a 2015 American science fiction film
* ''Equals'' (game), a board game
...
, their predecessors, the
ASSRs, used to
enjoy more privileges than the ordinary krais and oblasts of the
RSFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
(such as greater representation in the
Soviet of Nationalities). Thus, the ASSRs and their eventual successors would have more in common with
nation-state
A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group.
A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may inc ...
s than with ordinary administrative divisions, at least in spirit, and would choose titles accordingly.
Over the course of the 2010s the presidents of Russian republics would progressively change their title to that of
Head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...
(russian: глава), a proposition suggested by the
president of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov and later made law by the
Parliament of Russia and President
Dmitriy Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
in 2010. Despite this, however, presidents of
Tatarstan would reject this change and, as of 2017, retain their title in defiance of Russian law. The new title did not result in any changes in the powers wielded by the governors.
=United Kingdom
=
The
lord president of the Council
The lord president of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the ...
is one of the
Great Officers of State in the
United Kingdom who presides over meetings of British
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
; the
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
headed by the
prime minister is technically a committee of the Council, and all decisions of the Cabinet are formally approved through
Orders in Council. Although the lord president is a member of the Cabinet, the position is largely a ceremonial one and is traditionally given to either the
leader of the House of Commons or the
leader of the House of Lords.
Historically the
president of the Board of Trade
The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. This is a committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centu ...
was a cabinet member.
Dependencies
In
Alderney
Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide.
The island's area is , making it the third-largest ...
, the elected head of government is called the
president of the States of Alderney.
In the
Isle of Man, there is a
president of Tynwald.
=Spain
=
In
Spain, the executive leaders of the
autonomous communities (regions) are called presidents. In each community, they can be called ''Presidente de la Comunidad'' or ''Presidente del Consejo'' among others. They are elected by their respective regional assemblies and have similar powers to a state president or governor.
Deputies
Below a president, there can be a number of or "vice presidents" (or occasionally "deputy presidents") and sometimes several "assistant presidents" or "assistant vice presidents", depending on the organisation and its size. These posts do not hold the same power but more of a subordinate position to the president. However, power can be transferred in special circumstances to the deputy or vice president. Normally vice presidents hold some power and special responsibilities below that of the president. The difference between vice/deputy presidents and assistant/associate vice presidents is the former are legally allowed to run an organisation, exercising the same powers (as well as being second in command) whereas the latter are not.
Legislatures
In some countries the speaker of their unicameral legislatures, or of one or both houses of bicameral legislatures, the speakers have the title of president of "the body", as in the case of
Spain, where the Speaker of the Congress is the
president of the Congress of Deputies
The president of the Congress of Deputies ( es, Presidente del Congreso de los Diputados) is the speaker of the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Cortes Generales (the Spanish parliament). The president is elected among the members o ...
and the Speaker of the Senate is the
president of the Senate
President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies.
The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...
.
Judiciary
The term 'President' is usually used in
judiciary as
chief justice of
constitutional courts.
France
In
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
legal terminology, the president of a court consisting of multiple
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
s is the foremost judge; he chairs the meeting of the court and directs the debates (and is thus addressed as "Mrs President", "Madame la Présidente", "Mr President", or ''Monsieur le Président''. In general, a court comprises several chambers, each with its own president; thus the most senior of these is called the "first president" (as in: "the First President of the
Court of Cassation is the most senior judge in France"). Similarly in English legal practice the most senior judge in each division uses this title (e.g. President of the Family Division, President of the Court of Appeal).
Spain
In the
Spanish Judiciary, the leader of a court of multiples judges is called President of the Court. The same happens with the different bodies of the Spanish judicial system, where we can find a
president of the Supreme Court, a
president of the National Court and presidents in the
Regional High Courts of Justice and in the Provincial Courts. The body that rules over the Judiciary in Spain is the
General Council of the Judiciary, and its president is the president of the Supreme Court, which is normally called ''President of the Supreme Court and of the GCJ''.
The
Constitutional Court is not part of the Judiciary, but the leader of it is called
President of the Constitutional Court.
United Kingdom
In the recently established
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (initialism: UKSC or the acronym: SCOTUK) is the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom for all civil cases, and for criminal cases originating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As the Unite ...
, the most senior judge is called the
president of the Supreme Court. The lady/lord president of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in
Scotland, and presiding judge (and Senator) of the
College of Justice and
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...
, as well as being Lady/Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the
High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1784.
Spousal or female titles
Titles for a president's spouse, if female, have ranged from "Marquise" to "Lady" to simply "Mrs." (or "Ms.").
If male the title of the president's spouse may be "Marquis", "Lord", or merely "Mr.".
United States
President George Washington's wife,
Martha Washington, was often called "Lady Washington". By the 1850s in the United States, the term "lady" had changed from a title of nobility to a term of address for a respected and well-mannered woman. The use of "
First Lady
First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
" to refer to the wife of the president of the United States was popularized about the time of the
US Civil War.
Dolley Madison, the wife of President
James Madison, was remembered after her death in 1849 by President
Zachary Taylor as "truly our First Lady for a half a century". First ladies are usually referred to simply as "Mrs.
ast name
In the media
On 8 November 2016, the night of the
2016 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*7 January: Kirib ...
in the United States, images of leaked pre-printed copies of ''
Newsweek'' magazine showed the magazine celebrating the win of the Democratic candidate
Hillary Clinton, with the cover titled "Madam President". It is common for ''Newsweek'' to prepare for the eventuality of either candidate winning, though it was unusual that it was both published and distributed; the cover was pulled from newsstands after it became clear that
Donald Trump had secured a majority of electoral votes, winning the election.
See also
*
Eternal President of the Republic
*
Presidential system
A presidential system, or single executive system, is a form of government in which a head of government, typically with the title of president, leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch in systems that use separati ...
*
Presidents Day
*
Requirements for becoming a president
This is a list of qualifications that potential candidates must possess in order to stand for election as president of a country.
Afghanistan
Article 62 of the Constitution of Afghanistan of 2004 states that a candidate for the office of Presiden ...
*
Vice president
*
First Lady
First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
Head of state
*
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
*
Head of state
*
List of state leaders
This is a list of current heads of state and heads of government. In some cases, mainly in presidential systems, there is only one leader being both head of state and head of government. In other cases, mainly in semi-presidential and parliamen ...
*
Monarch
*
Supreme Leader
Other head of government
*
Minister-President (a head of government, not of state)
*
Prime minister
References
{{Portal bar, Politics
Presidents
Heads of state
Positions of authority
Titles
Etymologies
English words