President of Margora

The President of Margora is the head of state and head of government of Margora. The president leads the executive branch and is the commander-in-chief of the Margoran Defense Forces.

Origin

The President of Margora has been an official governmental position since February 20, 2017. After the Tuvavilu War and the Ikkman Government collapse, Dakka Mathias led the Margoran Rebel Forces to a win against Tuvavilu, and the Rebel Forces then formed a small government within the Margora Territory, formally owned by Tuvavilu. After the formation of the government, an election took place, and less than 25% of the population was aware of the election event, and Dakka Mathias was easily elected the 1st President of Margora.

Powers and Duties

Executive Powers

The President of Margora is responsible for most executive action in the country. They are required to faithfully execute the expectations of the people, and are mandated to treat the armed forces with dignity and respect.

Legislative Powers

The Constitution's Ineligibility Clause prevents the President (and all other executive officers) from simultaneously being a member of Congress. Therefore, the president cannot directly introduce legislative proposals for consideration in Congress. However, the president can take an indirect role in shaping legislation, especially if the president's political party has a majority in one or both houses of Congress. For example, the president or other officials of the executive branch may draft legislation and then ask senators or representatives to introduce these drafts into Congress. The president can further influence the legislative branch through constitutionally mandated, periodic reports to Congress. These reports may be either written or oral, but today are given as the State of the Union address, which often outlines the president's legislative proposals for the coming year. Additionally, the president may attempt to have Congress alter proposed legislation by threatening to veto that legislation unless requested changes are made.

Judicial Powers

The president also has the power to nominate federal judges, including members of the Margoran courts of appeals and the Supreme Court of Margora. However, these nominations require Senate confirmation. Securing Senate approval can provide a major obstacle for presidents who wish to orient the federal judiciary toward a particular ideological stance. When nominating judges to Margoran district courts, presidents often respect the long-standing tradition of senatorial courtesy. Presidents may also grant pardons and reprieves.

Line of Succession

The line of succession is a form of order that is placed in case members of the Cabinet or Government are unable to govern. If one member is unable to govern, the next line of succession is placed into power, based on Cabinet Rank. The current line of succession is as followed.

Selection Process

Eligibility

• Be a natural-born citizen of Margora/Louia/Former Ikkman Empire (Records required upon Presidential registration)
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a resident in Margora for at least 1 month

A person who meets the above qualifications is still disqualified from holding the office of president under any of the following conditions:

• No person can be elected president more than three times. If any eligible person serves as president or acting president for more than one year and three months of a term for which some other eligible person was elected president, the former can only be elected president once.
• Upon conviction in impeachment cases, the Senate has the option of disqualifying convicted individuals from holding federal office, including that of president.
• No person who swore an oath to support the Constitution, and later rebelled against Margora, can become president. However, this disqualification can be lifted by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress.

Election and Oath

The president is elected directly by the Popular vote. No special electoral voting is necessary. However, ballot recount is subject to occur.

The president's term of office begins one week after election. This date, known as Inauguration Day, marks the beginning of the one year and three months terms of both the president and the vice president. Before executing the powers of the office, a president is constitutionally required to take the presidential oath:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of Margora, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of my country."

Presidents are required to palm a Bible while taking the oath and must add, "So help me God!" to the end of the oath. Presidents are required to be sworn in by the Chief Justice of Margora, except when vice presidents have succeeded to the presidency due to a president's death or resignation.

Succession, Vacancy, or Disability

Succession to or vacancies in the office of President may arise under several possible circumstances: death, resignation, and removal from office.

The Constitution allows for the removal of high federal officials, including the president, from office for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." It also gives the House of Representatives the power to impeach such officials by a majority vote. In addition, gives the Senate the power to remove impeached officials from office, given a two-thirds vote to convict.

The president may transfer the presidential powers and duties to the vice president, who then becomes acting president, by transmitting a statement to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate stating the reasons for the transfer. The president resumes the discharge of the presidential powers and duties upon transmitting, to those two officials, a written declaration stating that resumption. This transfer of power may occur for any reason the president considers appropriate.

The vice president, in conjunction with a majority of the Cabinet, may transfer the presidential powers and duties from the president to the vice president by transmitting a written declaration to the Speaker of the House and the president of the Senate that the president is unable to discharge the presidential powers and duties. If this occurs, then the vice president will assume the presidential powers and duties as acting president; however, the president can declare that no such inability exists and resume the discharge of the presidential powers and duties. If the vice president and Cabinet contest this claim, it is up to Congress, which must meet within two days if not already in session, to decide the merit of the claim.

The Margora Constitution mentions the resignation of the president, but does not regulate its form or the conditions for its validity. Pursuant to federal law, the only valid evidence of the president's resignation is a written instrument to that effect, signed by the president and delivered to the office of the Secretary of State.

The vice president becomes president upon the removal from office, death, or resignation of the preceding president. The Presidential Succession Act provides that if the offices of President and Vice President are each either vacant or are held by a disabled person, the next officer in the presidential line of succession, The Secretary of State, becomes acting president. The line then extends to the Secretary of the Treasury, followed by every member of the Cabinet/every Governor of each province. The constitutionality of having congressional officials in the line of succession has been questioned. A person must fulfill all eligibility requirements of the office of President to be eligible to become acting president; ineligible individuals are skipped.

Compensation

The president earnes a $40,000 monthly salary, along with a $5,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account, and $19,000 for entertainment.

Residence

The House of the President in Salem City, Salem Province, Margora serves as the official residence of the president. Facilities that are available to the president include access to the House staff, medical care, recreation, housekeeping, and security services. The government pays for state dinners and other official functions, but the president pays for personal, family, and guest dry cleaning and food. Camp Martin, officially titled Margoran Militarily Defense Support Base , is a mountain-based military camp in Salem Province used as a country retreat and for high alert protection of the president and guests. The Secondary House, located next to the Executive Office Building at the House of the President Complex and Williams Park, is a complex of four connected townhouses exceeding 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) of floor space that serves as the president's official guest house and as a secondary residence for the president if needed.

Travel

The primary means of long distance air travel for the president is one of two identical Boeing VC-25 aircraft, which are extensively modified Boeing 747 airliners and are referred to as The President of Margora Air Travel Vehicle while the president is on board (although any Margora Air Force aircraft the President is aboard is designated as "MATV" for the duration of the flight). In-country trips are typically handled with just one of the two planes, while overseas trips are handled with both, one primary and one backup. The president also has access to smaller Air Force aircraft, most notably the Boeing C-32, which are used when the president must travel to airports that cannot support a jumbo jet. Any civilian aircraft the President is aboard is designated Executive ATV for the flight.

Protection

The Margora Secret Service is charged with protecting the president and the first family. As part of their protection, presidents, first ladies, their children and other immediate family members, and other prominent persons and locations are assigned Secret Service codenames. The use of such names simply serve for purposes of brevity, clarity, and tradition.

External Links

List of Presidents

See List of Presidents of Margora