| President of the Istalian Republic | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the President of the Republic | |
| Style |
President (reference and spoken) His Excellency (diplomatic, outside Istalia) |
| Residence | Quattroregni Palace, Romula |
| Nominator | Popular vote |
| Term length | 4 years, unless early election called |
| Inaugural holder | Carlo Aurelio Gianti |
| Formation | 2264 |
| Final holder | Sebastiano Al-Khaid |
| Abolished | 4546 |
| Succession | List of Presidents of the Istalian Republic |
| Deputy | President of the Senate |
| Website | www.presidenzadellarepubblica.gov.ist |
The President of the Istalian Republic (Istalian: Presidente della Repubblica Istaliana) was the title used by all the elected Head of State of the republican periods of the istalian history. Powers, functions and duties of the President and its relation with the other institutions of the state and mainly the government changed greatly under the several Istalian republics.
For most part of the republican history of Istalia, the President of the Republic had a cerimonial role within a parliamentary republic with the President of the Council of Ministers, the traditional title of the Prime Minister of Istalia, leading the country as Head of Government and veritable political leader of the country.
Nonetheless reforms undertaken under all the republican regimes turned several time the President into an executive Head of State, both under presidential and semi-presidential forms of government. The most renowned period under an executive President of the Republic was without dubt the so called "New" Fourth Istalian Republic, which saw the introduction of one of the most succesfull institutional reforms ever undertaken into the country, a semi-presidential republic which lasted for more than 400 years until the fall of the Fourth Republic. During this period the President of the Republic was the veritable political leader of the country, with the Prime Minister acting under his/her leadership, although he/she were forced to shere most of power with the Prime Minister during periods of "cohabitation", namely when President and Prime Minister belonged to different parties or coalitions.
In 4546, Julius Von Thaller achieved to rose to the power leading a coup d'etat supported by foreign powers, corrupting large part of the Armed Forces, scared by the menace of a socialist future for Istalia and heavily using Narikatonish and Deltarian paramilitaries. He abolished the title of President replaced by the one of President of the Revolution, the Thallerist revolution, which fortunately didn't aurvived. With the retourn of democracy, the presidential title was replaced by the one of Head of the State.
Election[]
Traditionally, the President of the Republic was directly elected by universal suffrage conducted via run-off voting which ensured that the elected President always obtains a majority: if no candidate received a majority of votes in the first round of voting, the two highest-scoring candidates arrived at a run-off.
Powers[]
While the President of the Republic had a cerimonial role, he/she acted as a super-partes Head of State with limited involvement into the government of the country, mostly acting as a symbol of unity of the nation, as supreme international diplomatic representative of the country, guaranteed its independence, the respect of the International Treaties and of the Constitution, although several times the Presidents were vested with the power to determine and propose a government to the country after consultations with the political forces.
The Constitutional Reforms 4134, which reorganized the Republic into a semi-presidential system, introduced in the previous parliamentary system a quite powerful executive President. He represented the Nation, guaranteed its independence, the respect of the International Treaties and was the supreme guarantor of the Constitution.
It was the holder of the Executive Power, although there was a Prime Minister, called Prime Minister fo the Republic (Istalian:Primo Ministro della Repubblica), and Parliament that oversaw much of the nation's actual day-to-day affairs.
The Istalian President wielded significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of the national security and foreign policy. The president held the nation's most senior office, and outranked all other politicians.
The president's greatest power was his/her ability to choose the prime minister, in fact it was his the responsability to propose the Government's Cabinet (Council of Ministers) and could also dismiss it, the Prime Minister or individual ministers. However, since the national legislature had to give its confiance to the Cabinet and had the power to dismiss the Prime Minister's government through a vote of no confiance, the president was forced to name a prime minister who could command the support of a majority in the assembly.
In this case, two scenarios were possible, given the traditional opposition of two coalition which for most part of the time of the semi-presidential system charaterized the istalian politics.
- When the majority of the Chamber had opposite political views to that of the president, this led to political cohabitation. In that case, the president's power was diminished, acting almost as a cerimonial head of the state, since much of the de facto power relied on a supportive prime minister and National Assembly, and was not directly attributed to the post of president.
- When the majority of the Assembly sided with the President, he could fully exploit its active role and direct in effect the government policy. The prime minister was then the personal choice of the President, and couls be easily replaced if the administration becomes unpopular through a government reshuffle.
The mandate of the president and of the Parliament were both 4 years and the two elections come together. Among the powers of the President:
- The President promulgates laws.
- The president has the right of veto: he can ask the Constitutional Council a further check on the constitutionality of a law before its promulgation, only once.
- The president may also refer the law for review to the Constitutional Council prior to promulgation.
- The President may dissolve the Parliament, after the approval of the Government and of the President of the Chamber, but only when an election did not express a majority in the Chamber of Deputies and has been found impossible to form one which can ensure the confidence to a Government.
- The president may refer treaties or certain types of laws to popular referendum, within certain conditions, among them the agreement of the Prime minister or the parliament.
- The president is the Commander-in-Chief of the Istalian Armed Forces.
- The president may order the use of nuclear weapons.
- The president names the Prime Minister. The president names and dismisses the other ministers, with the agreement of the Prime minister.
- The president names most officials (with the assent of the cabinet).
- The president presides over the Council of Ministers.
- The president names certain members of the Constitutional Council.
- The president directs the Nation's Foreign Policy in cooperation with the Government and is the Head of Diplomacy and receives Foreign Ambassadors.
- The president holds referendum proposed by the Government or by a motion from the Chamber of Deputies.
- The president has initiative on the revision of the Constitution on the proposal of the Prime Minister of the Republic.
- The president may assumed full powers and may legislate by decree in case of national emergency, in this exceptional situation, however, the Parliament is automatically convoked and may not be dissolved under any circumstances.
- The president may send messages to the Camera dei Deputati.
- The president may grant pardons, not amnesty.
All decisions of the president had to be countersigned by the prime minister.
Impeachment[]
The President might be impeached by the Chamber of Deputies in two ways: on the basis of the charges of high treason or violation of the Constitution and the vote of impeachment requires 2/3rds of the Chamber voted in favor. In this case it was not necessary call early election;
Impeachment through a vote in favor for an early elections by absolute majority of the Chamber, in this case the term of the President indeed ends together the Parliament.
Succession[]
In the case the President of the Republic couldn't persue his duties, the President of the Senate acted as deputy Head of State (Istalian: Presidente supplente della Repubblica, Luthorian: deputy President of the Republic). The deputy Head of State had to act exclusively persuing the cerimonial duties of the President, and furthermore he could not dissolve the Parliament, appoint a new Prime Minister and propose his Government, propose a referendum, propose laws, direct the foreign policy. The executive power had to belong to the Head of Government.
In case of permanent impediment, the President of the Chamber of Deputies had to call early elections while the deputy President of the Republic had to sign the decree to dissolve the Parliament. In case of less than 6 months to the next elections, the deputy President of the Republic had to remain in office until the natural end of the term.
Official Residences[]
The official residence and office of the President of the Republic was Quattroregni Palace (istalian: Palazzo Quattroregni), located in the historic center of Romula.
The Presidency was provided also of two another Presidential Residence: Borromesi's Castle (Italian: Castello dei Borromesi), in the municipality of Rocca Bassa in Sarregna, and The Hunting Residence of Terracche Lakes (Istalian: Palazzina di Caccia dei Laghi di Terracche), on the shores of the Firmamento Lake, in Trivendito.
Seal[]
The Seal of the President, like the ones of the Prime Minister and of the Parliament, consisted of a blue oval whose main axis is horizontal and in which are shown, in order from the top to bottom: a stylized image of the building which houses the institution, the official name of the institution and finally the Emblem of the Republic; in this case there was the image of the facade of Quattroregni Palace under which there was the inscription "President of the Republic".
National Mausoleum[]
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Since 4118, the Republic established a National Mausoleum where bury those Presidents of the Republic who distinguished themself during their office. It is placed in the National Memorial Mausoleum of Alessandro Senna, designed to honor Alessandro Senna but modified during the construction to become also a monument to honor and remember the most valid and notable Head of State of Istalia.
List of Presidents of the Istalian Republic[]