Among more items, President is in todays world the most common title for the head of state of a republic, whether popularly elected, chosen per legislature or a favorite electoral college. These are besides typically adopted by dictators.

A bulk of this article is dedicated to this usage by heads of state. For sir thomas more in more sort of presidents, view Non-Governmental Presidents, below. For sir thomas more on the usage of term "president", view President (history of the term).

History
Though there got been many republican countries in a past, it was the United States of America which popularized a position of President while a post wwhen created as the fresh republic's Head of State in 1789. When South Us became independent from either Spanish rule, and then as well did these recently republics adopt a title of "President" for their leaders, creating constitutions advisedly similar thereto of the The states.

A foremost European president was a President of France, a post created in the Second Republic of 1848. (A First Republic had harkened back to the ancient Roman Republic by appointing several consuls at its head.) The number one Asian president was the President of the Republic of China (1912), and a 1st African President was a President of Liberia created in 1848.

In todays world, a majority of countries have a President when their Head of State.

Presidents in democratic countries and international organizations
Presidential systems

Around states sustaining what is known as the Presidential system of government, a President is besides the head of government, when well as a head of state. Countries by using such a technique include the United States and most nations inside Latin America. within that models a professional of President is very right, each in practice & theory. In a United States, the President is indirectly elected by the U.S. Electoral College made up of electors chosen by voters in the presidential election. Inside virtually all U.S. states, for both one elector is committed to ballot for a specified candidate determined per popular vote around every state, then that the humans, around voting for each elector, is effectively voting for the candidate. Notwithstanding, within many close U.S. elections (notably 1876, 1888, 2000), while one candidate received the most popular votes, another candidate managed to win more electoral votes in the Electoral College and so won the presidency.

Parliamentary systems

More states develop what is known as the Parliamentary system of government, in which a President is sole head of state, & a Prime Minister is the head of government. Countries using such systems include Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy and Singapore, when well as Portugal (which has a super similar models however slightly different from either a aforesaid).

Under such the rules, executive authority is typically vested inside the president, by owning the food and drug administration governing in his or even her title, producing phrases like "His/Her Excellency's Government" within occasionally formal state documentation. Yet the president can besides possess occasionally reserve powers or powers which can be exercised per President while forgoing formal advice (internet explorer, binding instruction) from either 'His' or even 'Her' Governnment.

Around parliamentary systems, a president's role is unremarkably primarily ceremonial. Yet, due a combination of constitutionally constituted "reserve powers," protocol (which may postulate the babies to formally chair cabinet meetings &/or even stand access to completely cabinet memo), and his or her role when a individual within whose title executive authority is vested, typically gives the president a degree of informal influence non typically publicly realised.

An lesson of this influence is the as punishment: between 1870 & 1940, & once againside from either 1945 to 1958, France operated the classic parliamentary formulas of government, sustaining power inside the cabinet chosen per National Assembly, & the largely though non whole emblematical president; in 1877, President Mac-Mahon showed that his office was constitutionally important after he dismissed a so prime minister prior to calling freshly elections, in a hope of achieving a royalist majority to restore the monarchy (the project failed).

"President of Government" in parliamentary systems

A bit of countries by using parliamentary systems utilise a term 'president' within connection by using a head of parliamentary government, typically when President of the Government, President of the Council of Ministers or President of the Executive Council.

All a same, such an official is explicitly non the president of the united states. Like, he or even she is known as the president in an older sense of the word to denote a fact that he or even she heads the cabinet. The separate head of state generally exists in their united states that instead serves when a president or even monarch of the united states.

So, such leaders come really premiers, and to keep away from confusion come typically described just when 'prime minister' when existence mentioned internationally.

There are many examples for this kinda presidency: Under a French Third and the Fourth Republics, the "President of the Council" (of ministers) was the head of government, sustaining a President of the Republic a largely symbolical figurehead. A prime minister of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1937 was titled President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. At a equivalent period, the Irish Free State was a kingdom by using a ruling monarch, the King of Ireland, as well as a resident Governor-General carrying out many head of state functions. A Prime Minister of Spain is officially referred to as a President of a Government of Spain, & informally referred to as the "President". Spain is likewise the kingdom by using the regnant King of Spain. A official title of the Prime Minister of Serbia is President of the Government, while the united states has a President of Serbia.

Semi-presidential systems

The third models is the semi-presidential system, also referred to as a French models, in which such as a Parliamentary models there exists each a President & a Prime Minister, however unlike the Parliamentary system the President could develop important day-after-day-to-day power. Once his person controls the majority of seats in a National Assembly a president might operate closely by having the parliament & prime minister, & work towards a most common agenda. While a National Assembly is controlled by opponents of a President still, a president could call for himself marginalized by using the opposition person prime minister exercising virtually all of the power. Though a prime minister remains an appointee of a president, a president must obey the system of parliament, & choose a leader from either the home's majority holding person. So, another time a president & PM may be allies, occasionally bitingly contender. This situation is referred to as cohabitation. a French semi-presidential models, which may be considered a hybrid between a number 1 both, was developed at the beginning of the Fifth Republic by Charles de Gaulle. These are utilized (course) inside France, Russia, Sri Lanka , and many more post-colonial countries which develop emulated a French model.

Collective Presidency

Sole the midget minority of modern republics don't have a head of state; examples include: Switzerland, where the headship of state is put together vested in a seven-member Swiss Federal Council despite a fact the formulas includes a President of the Confederation. A President occurs as member of a Federal Council elected per Swiss Federal Assembly (the Swiss Parliament) for a year; and a President is simply primus inter pares (foremost among match). Even so, on the international stage he or even she is treated when head of state. Letters of Credence appointing ambassadors are formally addressed to him or even her by more heads of state. Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has a 3-member Presidency, each of which are then elected by the different constituent nation. A position of a President of the Presidency rotates between the trio members. San Marino, which has two Captains Regent elected by the Smashing & General Council. A European Union is governed in section per Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a rotating post held per member states of the European Union. It used to be that this hwhen been the single single state presiding for a half a dozen-year time period; as of 2007 it will be deuce-ace states sharing a presidency in the period of their overlapping Eighteen-year terms. There exists besides the President of the European Commission.

Presidents in dictatorships
Inside dictatorships, the title is oftentimes taken by self-appointed and/or military-backed leaders. Such is the pack inside numerous African states; Idi Amin in Uganda, for example. For instance a title is potentially extended into a supplementary assuming form of "president for life." In occasionally communistic states, a head of a Communist person was too given the presidency, like Fidel Castro in Cuba and Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union. In more occasions in a Soviet Union, the really power was exercised per General Secretary of the Communist Person, sustaining a bit of local notability holding the presidency.

President for Life is a title assumed by some dictators to ensure that their authority or even legitimacy is never questioned.

the number one easily-known incident of a leader extending his term indefinitely was Roman dictator Julius Caesar, who processed himself "Perpetual Dictator" (commonly mistranslated when 'Dictator-for-life') within 45 BC. His actions would late exist as mimicked per French leader Napoleon Bonaparte who was appointed "First Consul for life" inside 1802.

Ironically, virtually all leaders world health organization proclaim themselves President for Life don't as the matter of fact with success help a life term. Nevertheless presidents prefer Alexandre Sabès dit Pétion, Rafael Carrera, Josip Broz Tito and François Duvalier died in professional.

A simply residing officially proclaimed president for life is Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan.

Numbers of of the two don't proclaim it officially "for life" potentially whenever these are evident that it is, prefer Fidel Castro of Cuba.

Many presidents stand ruled until their death in democratic countries, but it use at times non actually been mass produced and/or announced themselves when President for Life. For example, Archbishop President Makarios became president of Cyprus late inside his life (in 1960) and ruled until his death in 1977, having with success won re-election several times.

Presidential symbols

When a united states's head of state, inside virtually all countries a president is entitled to certain emblematical honors, too when luxury perquisite that go with a professional. For instance, virtually all of the globe's presidents have the favorite home; typically a shower mansion or even palace. A President of the United States e.g. lives in the famed White House.

Too as an official home, around a select few nations a Presidency will bring by using it certain symbols of professional, like an official uniform, decorations, or even more accessories. Mayhap a usual presidential symbol come a presidential sashes worn by the presidents of Latin America. Within these countries, a sash occurs as symbol of the presidency's continuity, & presenting a sash to the recently president occurs as key section of the inauguration ceremony.

Presidential chronologies

Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Austria Bangladesh Benin Bolivia Botswana Brazil Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Czech Republic Dominican Republic Ecuador Ethiopia Fiji Finland France

Gabon Gambia Germany Ghana Greece Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Kenya Korea, North Korea, South Latvia Lebanon Liberia Lithuania Mexico Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Yemen

Pakistan Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Somalia Somaliland South Africa South Yemen Sri Lanka Switzerland Tajikistan Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Uganda Ukraine United States Uruguay Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

European Commission Leaders of post-Soviet independent states

Specific information
President of Argentina President of Austria President of the Republic of China President of the People's Republic of China President of Fiji President of France President of Germany President of India President of Ireland President of Israel President of Malta President of Pakistan President of the Philippines President of the Republic of Poland President of Serbia President of Serbia and Montenegro President of Switzerland President of Trinidad and Tobago President of the United States

Additional reading

The powers, functions & functioning of presidents were reviewed by captain hicks international experts for Australia's Republic Advisory Committee in 1993. Reports by among others Prof Klaus Von Beyme (on Germany), A.G Noorani (on India), Jim Duffy (on Ireland) and Sir Ellis Clarke (on Trinidad and Tobago) outline the role of various presidencies. A to the full report is known as An Australian Republic: A Choices - A Appendices (ISBN 0644325895)

Non-governmental presidents

President is too utilized as a title within a select few non-governmental organizations. the head of a university or even non-non-profit-making corporation, particularly in the United states, is typically referred to as president. President is likewise the title inside numerous corporations. Inside a few instances a president acts when chief operating officer under the counsel of the chief executive officer.

Inside British constitutional practice, a chairwoman of an Executive Council, acting in such the capacity, is referred to as the President of the Executive Council. Commonly this human is the Governor but is not universally and then.

Around university systems with multiple independent campuses, a relationship between a roles of president and chancellor can get quite complicated. Look at chancellor.

Numbers of more organizations, clubs, & committees, each political & non-political come led by Presidents also. Examples might change from either the President of a political party, to the president of a chamber of commerce, to the President of a students' union and even the president of a high school chess club.

Inside French legal terminology, the president of a court consisting of multiple judges is a foremost judge; he chairs a meeting of the court & directs the debates (& this so addressed when "Mr President", Monsieur lupus erythematosus Président, or even appropriate feminine forms). In a main, a court is many chambers, to each one by owning its have president; so the virtually all senior one is known as the "first president" (when inside: "the First President of the Court of Cassation is the most senior judge in France").