President of Iscobral
| President of Iscobral | |
|---|---|
| Office of the President | |
| Style | Mr President (informal) His Excellency (formal) |
| Type | Head of State |
| Appointer | Assembly of State |
| Inaugural holder | Vincent Wood |
| Formation | 20 March 2023 |
| Deputy | Assembly Speaker |
The President of Iscobral, is the head of state of the State of Iscobral and commander-in-chief of the Iscobrali Defence Forces. The position is a largely ceremonial role, with executive power vested in the government, lead by the Prime Minister of Iscobral. The office was established on 20 March 2023 as the first national office.
Election
The president is elected by the Assembly of State.
Both the incumbent Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition nominate a candidate for election no more than 10 days before the incumbent's term expires. Voting then begins.
Candidates must receive a two thirds majority in the assembly to win the election. If no candidate wins the required majority, the voting continues for as many rounds as needed for a candidate to reach this majority.
Powers
The presidency is a largely ceremonial office, as Iscobral is a parliamentary republic. Despite this, the president wields some powers, sometimes known as reserve powers, that can be exercised on advice of the Prime Minister of Iscobral.
Executive Powers
While not the chief executive, the president does have some executive powers - however they are almost exclusively exercised on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet.
The president appoints as prime minister the individual most likely to maintain the support of the Assembly of State. Typically they are the leader of the largest party in the assembly and are nominated by the chamber. The president must additionally appoint other all other ministers to Cabinet on the advice of the prime minister.
The president also serves as commander-in-chief of the Iscobrali Defence Forces.
Legislative Powers
Since the president is almost always required to act on the advice of the cabinet, the president's role in the legislative process is limited to assenting to bills and signing them into law.However, the president has the absolute power to withhold assent to Bills passed by Parliament (i.e. to veto without parliamentary override). Furthermore, a form of pocket veto exists: there is not a specific time frame for presidential action on a Bill passed by Parliament, thus the president can hypothetically postpone the signature of a Bill indefinitely, effectively vetoing it.
The president additionally summons, prorogues, and dissolves parliament; after the latter, the writs for a general election. In practice, these powers are almost always exercised on the advice of the cabinet.
Judicial Powers
The president has the right to appoint judges on the joint recommendation of the prime minister and leader of the opposition or parliament, and pardon offenders.
The president also has the right to appoint the chief justice with the consent of the Assembly of State.
Oath of Office
The official oath for the office of president is: "I, [name], do swear (or solemnly affirm) that I will well and truly serve Iscobrali in the office of President. So help me God."
"So help me God" is omitted in the affirmation.
The oath of office is typically administered by the Chief Justice.