Alliance President

Requirements

To be considered for the position of President of the Northup Alliance, a candidate must be at least 35 years of age, have no criminal records, be a registered, naturally born citizen of the Northup Alliance, and have received the official nomination from an Alliance Senator. Traditionally, Alliance Presidents have served at least one term as a Senator prior to their nomination, are a member of one of the Alliance's political parties, and come from the world giving their nomination, although these are not official requirements for the role.

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Appointment

Once receiving the nomination from a Senator, candidates are presented to the Alliance Senate and a period of one week follows where candidates are questioned and can campaign for votes. After the week of questioning, the Senate meets in session and each Senator casts a vote for their preferred candidate. A candidate requires at least a two thirds majority to be elected, and if no one receives the requires votes in the first round, the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated, and another vote is conducted. This continues until one candidate receives the required amount of votes.
Voting is almost always along party lines, with Senators voting for the candidate which is most closely aligned with their own party. After the first two rounds, the voting gets very tactical, with candidates making all kinds of promises to secure the votes required for the majority required. When a single candidate receives the required majority, the election is called and a new President is in place.

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Duties

The Alliance President has four main duties; to chair Senate meetings and decide on the agenda for discussion and voting, to appoint heads of the various executive agencies, to cast a vote in the occasion of a tie, and to act as supreme commander of the Alliance armed forces.
Whilst the latter duty might make it seem like the President holds a great deal of power, in reality, the defensive nature of the Alliance armed forces, and the requirement for military operations to be ratified by the Senate, make it difficult for the President to authorise anything but the most routine and urgent military actions. It is the first duty that gives the position its weight, as deciding on the Senate agenda allows the President, and the party to which they're part of, to determine what laws and decisions are made.

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Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

The Constitution of the Northup Alliance has a section on impeachment of a sitting President, but so far the process has not been used. A sitting Senator can request an impeachment vote, which requires at least one third of the Senate to agree on. The Senate then hears arguments for and against the impeachment, after which a vote is taken that requires a two thirds majority to be enacted.
Grounds for impeachment are limited, and consist of actions that threaten the unity of the Alliance, collusion with enemy factions, and gross misuse of Presidential authority for personal gain. Some leeway is considered in the last factor, as it is widely expected that Alliance Presidents will use the position for some personal gain.

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History

The initial Alliance constitution had no provision for a single figure of authority, with the Senate holding all the power for the command of the armed forces, and various Senators taking on the role of representative for the state, depending on the situation. A crisis of authority in the tenth year of the Alliance, where four competing Senators demanded the role in negotiations with the Federation of Xah, led to an amendment being tabled that saw provision for an Alliance President. The actual details were crafted over the next six years, with the first President being elected a year after that.

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Type

Civic, Political

Form of Address

Sir

Source of Authority

Elected by Senate

Length of Term

6 years (no term limits)

Current Holders

• Tomas Piñón

Related Organizations

• Northup Alliance