President of Quebec
| President of Republic of Quebec
Le président de la République du Québec | |
|---|---|
.svg) Coat of arms of Quebec | |
| Style |
Mr. President (informally) His/Her Excellency (international correspondence) |
| Type | Executive |
| Member of |
Cabinet of Quebec National Defence Council |
| Residence | Edifice Price (Price Building) |
| Seat | Quebec City |
| Appointer |
Direct election Two-round system Universal suffrage |
| Term length | Four years, renewable (no fixed term limits) |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Quebec |
| Formation | August 13, 1930 |
| First holder | Calvé Auger |
The President of the Republic of Quebec (French: Le président de la République du Québec) is the executive head of state of the Republic of Quebec. Within the Quebec political structure, the president is the highest and most senior office in the country and holds significant powers in comparison to presidents in other semi-presidential systems like those in Europe even though much of the day-to-day affairs and governance of the country is handeled by the Prime Minister and National Assembly.
The powers, functions, and responsbilities of the presidency along with the office's relation to the prime minister and parliament have varied over time with the presidency being a mostly symbolic position for most of the Landonist era with the de facto highest ranking position being the General Secretary of the Democratic Revolutionary Party of Quebec. Following the Revolutions of 2000 and the fall of the Landonist regime, the presidency was given more powers and executive authorities such as the commander-in-chief of the Quebec Defence Forces, but many of his functions were handeled by the prime minister until a series of reforms were implemented in 2011 which expanded the presidency's powers to be equal to those of the prime minister.
The current president is Bernard Couillard, who succeeded Vincent Ayotte on October 18, 2018.
History
The presidency was established on August 18, 1930 during the Crimson Spring by the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Quebec after Quebec declared itself and independent state from Canada under a Landonist government in the form of the Democratic Revolutionary Party. The presidency was first held by Calvé Auger who led the revolution and established an independent Quebec. During the early years of Quebec, the presidency was a powerful position, especially since Auger held both the presidency and position as the General Secretary of the Revolutionary Party, but by the 1950s, a series of new poltiical reforms were enacted that gave more power to the general secretary as a means of maintaining the party's control over the country. While the presidency held executive power, they were largely subordinate (in the de facto sense) to the party and its central committee.
Following the Quebec Democratic Revolution in 2000, the Landonist regime had ended and the office of the presidency was maintained while the general secretary was abolished and replaced by the office of the prime minister. The prime minister and National Assembly were given many powers and functions in accordance with the semi-presidential republican system of government that was established following the 2000 Quebec legislative election which was concurrent with the 2000 Quebec presidential election with the president being given executive powers, but largely serving as a figurehead. In 2011, the office's powers were expanded to include giving the presidency the leading role in foreign policy, supreme command of the armed forces, and was made equal to that of the prime minister.