The President of Assiniboia is the Head of State of the Republic of Assiniboia, as well as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and head of the Executive Branch of Government.
The role of President is much similar to that of the President of the United States of America, and has most of the same privileges, responsibilities and checks and balances as does his American counterpart. These include execution of federal law, alongside the responsibility of appointing federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial officers, and concluding treaties with foreign powers, with the advice and consent of the Assiniboian Senate. However, the President does not have the power to grant pardon's: this is held by the Justice Committee of the Senate, nor does he have the power to convene or adjourn the Senate, even under extraordinary circumstances, which the President of the US does have. However, this is balanced by allowing the President the rights to introduce laws in the Senate, though no further power is given to him in the Legislative process except to sign or veto the law after the Senate has accepted it.
Another major difference is that the President is directly elected by the people: their is no Electoral College, and the candidate who wins the most districts (usually 51% of districts, which are impartially balanced for equal representation every ten years by an independent body unrelated to the Senate or the Presidency), is named the victor. In the case that no 51% majority is reached, and their is more than two candidates, then a run off election between the candidates who have polled more than 25% of districts is held at least two weeks after the initial election. However, this may not be the case if one candidate concedes before a run off is held, whereas the districts as evenly distributed to the remaining presidential hopefuls, which should give a majority to one candidate. If this is still not the case, then a run off election is still held, albeit without the withdrawn candidate.
The President is elected to a four year term, and the election of president is not to be held at the same time as the Senate elections, which also serve four year terms, although the Senate maybe dissolved before the term is up. The only case that this did not happen was the first election in 1874, when both the President and the Senate were elected at the same time, but the President, Louis Riel, only served an abbreviated two year term. He was re-elected in the election of 1876, and remained President until he resigned in 1880. The current President is Stephen Harper, who was elected for his first term in 2008, and is running for re-election in 2012.
List of Presidents[]
# | Portrait | Name | Term Length | Party | Prime Minister | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Louis David Riel | 1874-1880 | National Party | Gabriel Dumont | ||
2 | Gabriel Dumont | 1880-1884 | National Party | Charles Sempfort | President during Third American War, did not stand for re-election | |
3 | John Norquay | 1884-1892 | Unity Party | David Howard Harrison | ||
4 | Rodmond Palen Roblin | 1892-1896 | National Party | Frederick W. A. G. Haultain | ||
5 | Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne | 1896-1900 | Unity Party | William Jacob Dearford | ||
6 | William Henry Jackson | 1900-1920 | National Party | William Melville Martin (1900-1911), none (1911-1912), Kelvin Herbert Goforth (1912-1920) | Longest serving President, President during Second Global War | |
7 | William Melville Martin | 1920-1928 | Liberal Party | James G. Gardner | ||
8 | John Edward Brownlee | 1928-1932 | Socialist Party | Howard Carrie Xavier | ||
9 | James Garfield Gardiner | 1932-1940 | National Party | Martin Philips | Pushed for movie industry to move to Assiniboia | |
10 | John Bracken | 1940-1952 | National Party | Samuel Bertand (1940-1948), Kevin Herris (1948-1952) | President During Third Global War and start of Scottish War | |
11 | Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas | 1952-1964 | Socialist Party of Assiniboia | Woodrow Stanley Lloyd | Established Socialized Medicine, reformed the "Studio Town System" | |
12 | John Diefenbaker | 1964-1969 | National Alliance | Ernest Manning | Died in Office, succeed by Vice-President | |
13 | Ernest Manning | 1969-1976 | National Alliance | Edgar Peter Lougheed | Succeed Diefenbaker after he died | |
14 | David Lewis | 1976-1980 | Socialist Party | John Edward Broadbent | ||
15 | Charles Joseph Clark | 1980-1988 | National Alliance | Ralph Klein | ||
16 | John Edward Broadbent | 1988-1996 | Socialist Party | Gary Doer | ||
17 | Ralph Phillip Klein | 1996-2000 | National Alliance | Gary Filmon | ||
18 | Gary Doer | 2000-2008 | Socialist Party | Dwain Lingenfelter | ||
19 | Stephen Harper | 2008-present | National Alliance | Brad Wall |