President of Rio Blanco

President of the Republic of Rio Blanco Presidente de la República de Río Blanco (es) Niinooxuwut (arp) Presidente della Repubblica di Rio Blanco (it) Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Białej Rzeki (pl) Präsident der Rioblankishe Republik (ymd)
File:Presidential Flag of Rio Blanco.png Presidential Flag of Rio Blanco
File:Bill Stanmourne.jpg Incumbent Bill Stanmourne since 1 August 2012
Style	Mr./Mrs. President His/Her Excellency (abroad)
Residence	Cheesman-Boettcher Mansion 400 East 8th Avenue, Denver, Cherry Creek Standrod Mansion (summer residence) 648 North Lanceton, Pocatello, Uinta
Term length	Four years, renewable
Inaugural holder	Edwin Lanceton 1 August 1876
Formation	Constitution 1 August 1876

The President of Rio Blanco is the head of state of the nation. It is the highest rank in the Republic's local politics. He/She also holds the executive power in Rio Blanco.

Powers

Since Rio Blanco is a federal republic with presidential executive, the nation grants significant powers to the president, who effectively controls the executive branch, represents the country abroad, appoints the cabinet (the Council of Departments) and, with the approval of the Senate, the judges for the Supreme Federal Court. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the Defense Units of Rio Blanco.

The Constitution outlines the powers of the President, which include (but are not limited to):

1. Appoint and dismiss the Secretaries of the Departments
2. Exercise, aided by the Secretaries, the higher management of the federal administration;
3. Start the legislative procedure, in the manner and cases set forth in the Constitution;
4. Sanction, promulgate and order the publication of laws, and issue decrees and regulations for the true enforcement thereof;
5. Veto bills, wholly or in part;
6. Maintain relations with foreign nations and to accredit their diplomatic representatives;
7. Conclude international treaties, conventions and acts, subject to the ratification of the Parliament of Rio Blanco;
8. Decree the state of defense and the state of siege, when necessary and allowed by the Constitution;
9. Upon the opening of the legislative session, send a government message and plan to the Parliament, describing the state of the nation and requesting the actions he/she deems necessary;
10. Grant pardons and reduce sentences, after hearing the entities instituted by law, if necessary;
11. Exercise the supreme command of the armed forces, appoint the commanders of navy, army and air force, promote general officers and to appoint them to the offices held exclusively by them;
12. Appoint, after approval by the Senate, the Justices of the Supreme Court and those of the superior courts, the Prosecutor General of the Republic and other civil servants, when established by law;
13. Appoint the Justices of the Court of Accounts of the Republic and the Attorney General;
14. Declare war, in the event of foreign aggression, authorized by the Parliament or confirmed by it, whenever it occurs between legislative sessions and, under the same conditions, to decree full or partial national mobilization;
15. Make peace, authorized or confirmed by the Parliament;
16. Award decorations and honorary distinctions;
17. Submit to the Parliament the quadrennial plan, the bill of budgetary directives and the budget proposals set forth in this constitution;
18. Render, each year, accounts to the Parliament concerning the previous fiscal year, within sixty days of the opening of the legislative session.

Election

File:Rio Blanco presidential ballot 2016.png

Ballot used in the presidential election of 2016.

The president is elected every leap year, directly by the people, using the IRV method and optional preferential voting.

The presidential election is divided into two rounds: the first being on 25 July and the second being on 1 August.

In the first round, citizens can vote for any candidate that has openly declared to run for President and submitted a valid form to the National Electoral Office in Denver, CC (for nationwide parties) or to its state branches (for statewide parties). To advance to the second round, candidates must reach a threshold of 5,000 votes.

Changes to past methods

• Prior to 1948, the President was elected indirectly by the people, passing through a group of Major Councillors (composed by Senators and Representatives), nominating the President with a winner-take-all basis, like in the United States. In 1948, following the controversial win of Ed Tomley thanks to the Major Councillors voting for him (despite the people voting for opponent Richard Eldridge), a Supreme Court sentence ruled the winner-take-all basis antidemocratic, and therefore unconstitutional. Tomley was then removed from office and the election was invalidated, with the Supreme Court ordering another election, to be held within 14 days. This time, Richard Eldridge was elected to the highest post.
• Prior to 1966, the President was elected with a quorum of 50% of the voters, plus one.
• From 1908 to 1970, voting in Rioblancoan presidential elections was compulsory for people who were between 18 and 69. However, only symbolical sanctions were applied, such as the publication of lists of non-voters and mention in police certificates that the person had failed to vote.
• Prior to 1894, only men were allowed to vote in nationwide elections. From 1894 to 1908, both men and women were allowed to vote, but only men could be elected.

Requirements

• Must be a citizen of Rio Blanco (either born in Rioblancoan soil or from Rioblancoan parents).
  • If naturalized, must have been a citizen for 15 years without interruption and without residences outside the national territory.
• Must be 25 years or older.
• Must not have been convicted in any crime for the last 15 years.

Former requirements

• Must be Christian. (1876 to 1980, applied de facto until 1992, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union)
• Must be a man. (1876 to 1908)

Succession and incapacitation

In case the President dies, resigns or is removed from office before finishing the term, the Vice President will succeed him/her, serving until further election. This happened twice: the first time was when James DiLeo died in a car crash in 1979, with Chris Klaudes being appointed; the second time happened when Lawrence Radigan was removed from office, with Thomas Kirchenauer being appointed. Because of the temporary nature of the term, while both Klaudes and Kirchenauer are considered Presidents, they are often not counted as such.

If the President cannot attend meetings, he/she can ask the Vice President to do so in his stead. This is often done when the President is abroad, ill or undergoing surgery.

Should the Vice President be unavailable as well, the Chancellor of Rio Blanco will attend in lieu of (or succeed) the President.

List

  Home Guard Party/Conservatives of Rio Blanco

  Progressive Party of Rio Blanco

  Green Party of Rio Blanco

  Liberals for Rio Blanco

  Constitution Party of Rio Blanco

† Died in charge.
¹ Even though the 1948 election saw Home Guard candidate Ed Tomley win, he only won because he was chosen by the Major Councillors, despite the majority of voters voting for Progressive Richard Eldridge. Upon repetition of the election, Eldridge was elected to the post.

#	Image	Name	Took Office	Left Office	Party	Vice President(s)
1	File:Edwin Lanceton.jpg	Edwin Lanceton (1831-1902)	1876	1880	Home Guard Party	Jonas Montrose Garner
2		Jonas Montrose Garner (1829-1903)	1880	1884	Home Guard Party	Daniel Bergmann
3		John Siegthor Vynn (1837-1901)	1884	1888	Progressive	Robert Foxton
4		Gregory Quentin Pence (1832-1910)	1888	1892	Progressive	Thomas Daddler
5		Hugh Carlson (1859-1923)	1892	1896	Home Guard Party	Anthony Craigford
6		William McDenn (1858-1911)	1896	1900	Progressive	Emmett Stagmann
7		Emmett Stagmann (1861-1912)	1900	1904	Progressive	Herman James Earl Stroughton
8	File:Philip Coxbourne.jpg	Philip Coxbourne (1864-1932)	1904	1908	Home Guard Party	John Reginald Gandley
9		Henry Clifford Stanson (1869-1943)	1908	1912	Constitutionalist	Robert Lennard
10		Warren Thornton (1877-1939)	1912	1916	Progressive	Anne Wilkies
11		Timothy Van Oyle (1868-1929)	1916	1920	Constitutionalist	McLay Varkins
12		Ryan Kaczorowski (1881-1949)	1920	1924	Progressive	Seymour Barrill
13		Paul Dennis Caines (1874-1939)	1924	1928	Progressive	Ronald Boeckmann
14		Scott Yannick LaGausse (1883-1959)	1928	1932	Home Guard Party	Benjamin Unselmann
15		Jack Stowley (1877-1952)	1932	1936	Progressive	Arthur Reno Evans
16		J. L. "Jamie" Coxbourne (1896-1974)	1936	1940	Home Guard Party	Stuart Gerrie
17		George Hezekiah Collins (1895-1967)	1940	1944	Home Guard Party	Rhys Ashbrook
18		Richard Eldridge¹ (1889-1957)	1944	1948	Progressive	Douglas Staunton
19		Jonas Munstell (1901-1977)	1948	1952	Progressive	Alfred Giannizzari
20		Alfred Giannizzari (1897-1981)	1952	1956	Progressive	Delia Roughton
21		Bruce Carlson (1922-2009)	1956	1960	Home Guard Party	Edgar Rogalski
22		Delia Roughton (1915-2001)	1960	1964	Progressive	Stanley P. Matts (born Mnatsakanyan)
23	File:James DiLeo.jpg	James DiLeo (1917-1979)	1964	1968	Home Guard Party	Jeroen De Wallen
24		Nigel Krzywydzieski (1926-2013)	1968	1972	Home Guard Party/Conservative	Mike Scrammer
25	File:Larry Rutkowski.png	Larry Rutkowski (1929-2016)	1972	1976	Progressive	Delia Roughton
26	File:James DiLeo.jpg	James DiLeo† (1917-1979)	1976	1979	Conservative	Chris Klaudes
-		Chris Klaudes (ad interim) (1929-2015)	1979	1980	Conservative	None
27	File:Lawrence Radigan.jpg	Lawrence Radigan (1936-2016)	1980	1983	Progressive	Thomas Kirchenauer
-		Thomas Kirchenauer (ad interim) (1932-)	1983	1984	Progressive	None
28	File:Gamkrelidze in 2014.jpg	Russell Gamkrelidze (1930-)	1984	1988	Conservative	Kyle Robertson
29		Robert F. Johnson (1946-)	1988	1996	Progressive	Christine Farbeit Henry Scheitlin
30	File:Frank Chambers.jpg	Frank L. Chambers (1959-)	1996	2000	Green	George F. Sullivan
31	File:Darryl Colston.png	Darryl Colston (1961-)	2000	2004	Liberal	Roger McLay
32		Carl Sladger (1959-)	2004	2012	Progressive	Thomas Roadsend Henry Lawsey
33	File:Bill Stanmourne.jpg	W. H. "Bill" Stanmourne (1964-)	2012	incumbent	Progressive	Jay Biedrzycki

References

Template:Presidents of Rio Blanco