President of the United States of Mars

The President of the United States of Mars is the head of state and head of government of the United States of Mars. The Presidency was created after independence of the nation and the successful ratification of the Constitution in 2045 and the first president took office later that year. The President serves as the chief executive and head of the executive branch of the USM's government. The President is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and space fleet and has powers granted solely to the President, including the power to sign into law bills passed by both chambers of parliament, to grant pardons or reprieves, and, with the consent of the Chamber of Representatives, to make treaties and appoint officers, ambassadors and cabinet members.

As of 2087, there have been ten Presidents of the United States of Mars. The first President was Lisa Howard, and the 11th and current President is James Woolley. The President has confirmed he will run for a second term and an election must be called by 2094 but will proberbly be called in 2093.

Requirements to hold office

The United States of Mars Constitution states that, to become eligible for the the Presidency, one must be a Citizen of the United States of Mars and eighteen years of age. It also states that a candidate cannot have been convicted of a Class-A crime.

Due to the age of the country, citzens do not have to be natural-born citizens of the country but must have gained citizenship. This has been criticised by political lawyers in recent times who argue that the nation is now old enough to have natural-born citizens as President.

The President is usually the leader of their Political Party and cannot be a Constituancy Representative. The leader of a political party may enter the Chamber of Representatives, however, if their party won 1% of the votes in a General Election or Bi-Election.

The President may serve as many 5 year terms as they wish however most serve 4 year elections. The President to serve in office for the shortest time was Henry Game who served for five months after the resignation of President Howard. The President with the longest period in office was Christine Leverton who held office for three terms spanning 12 years. Aside from President Leverton, Presidents Jackson and Daniels are the only presidents to have served two terms (Daniels won a third term but was killed before completing it).

Election

The President is elected in a separate presidential election which are usually held on the same day as the general legislative election, the date of which is picked by the incumbent president. The elections are separate so the legislative body (the Chamber of Representatives) and the executive could be controlled by different political parties however this has never happened.

Inauguration

Although there is no official time set for inaugration or enterance into office, by tradition, a newly elected President should deliver a letter to the outgoing President the day after an election which states their intentions to take office and requests that the outgoing President vacate Kantar House (although the president now resides in Mayor Mansion, Kantar House is legally the residence of the president) and the Presidential Office on a specified date. Usually, the President is given 5 days to conclude their affairs before leaving Kantar House.

Since Tom Jackson was elected to office, the new President walks up North Avenue, to Kantar House where they meet the outgoing President before walking together to the Chamber of Representatives. In the Chamber, the new President holds the United States of Mars Constitution and says the following:As elected by the people of this nation. I will, on my honour, defend them and protect them from enemies external and internal. I will stay true to the values of the United States of Mars and stay true to it's constitution.The President then signs the Constituion before asking the Leader of the Chmaber of Representatives to swear in the elected Constituancy Representatives.

A President who has been re-elected will do the same, however will go directly to the Chamber of Representatives.

Succession

The United States of Mars Presidential Line of Succession is designed so that there will never be a time which there is not a President. The line of succession is made up of Cabinet members who take on the role of President if all other members above them on the list are unable to exercise their duties as President.

If a President has died, the next person on the list is immediatly made president pro tempore while the cabinet vote for the current president to be relieved (much in the same way they would vote if the president had a serious physical or mental problem). The president pro tempore must then be sworn in like any other president and must call an election within 14 days.

If everyone on the list is unable to exercise their duties then the highest ranking military leader is made Head of State in the role of "Executive General" until an election is held. To date, there has not been an Executive General in the United States of Mars.

Presidential Benefits

Salary

The President is traditionally the highest paid government employee but because of the 2049 Power Act., the President cannot be paid more than double the salary of the second highest paid government official. This was designed to make sure that, when the country was founded, people did not run for the Presidency for money.

The average Presdential salary is around 400,000 Credits (US$200,000) but the President can also recieve up to 100,000 Credits (US$50,000) more for expenses.

Often, the President earns more from book deals etc. after they leave office.

Residences

Legally the residence of the president is Kantar House, however the president lives and works in Mayor Mansion. After a fire at Kantar House in 2078, Mayor Richard Andrew invited the president to stay at Mayor Mansion while he moved to a different house. The president has stayed in Mayor Mansion since and has had several buildings built around it for offices for the presidential staff. Mayor Mansion is used much more by the president as a place of business as well as a residence as it has the facilities to make it easier to base presidential operations there. Kantar House is now the residence of the First Secretary.

The President also gets the use of the River House mansion in the north of the country as another residence and Presidents often uses this house as a weekend or holiday retreat.

Travelling

The President has the use of several vehicles designed to be secure and practical. The most well known are the two "Space-Jets", Discovery and Trecker. The two jets are identical and are capable of space travel as well as travelling across Mars. The jets are several hundred metres long and have three levels. The jets also each have their own contingent of figters designed to protect them from atatck.

The Presidnt also has a number of other vehicles including the Presidential helicopter and a fleet of limos.

IS6

IS6 (Intelligence Service 6) is the service designed to protect the President and other government officials. It is similar to the US Secret Service. After the President leaves office, IS6 is charged with protecting them and, after they die, their partner.