President of Magisteria

The President of Magisteria, officially known as the President of the United Magisterian States, is both head of state and head of government of Magisteria. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Defence Forces. The President is elected by a direct popular vote. Since the 2021 Federal Constitution has been presented and officially been adopted, the presidential term length was shortened to four years.

Phil Vibert is the 28th and current president of Magisteria, winning the final presidential election where the Two-round Electoral College was still in-effect.

Requirements
The Constitution of 1971 and its 1985 amendment establishes the requirements for becoming president. The president must be a natural-born citizen of the country, or else born overseas when one of his or her parents or grandparents is a Magisterian national. The president must also be at least 25-35 years old. In addition, all the requirements for becoming a Senator apply. The president must meet all the requirements to qualify as a fully Magisterian citizen with the right to vote: they must have reached the age of eighteen years and have never been sentenced to severe punishment, nor lost the right to vote on grounds of insanity, been tried for a crime attracting severe punishment or for terrorist conduct, or condemned by the Constitutional Court under Article 8 of the Constitution.

Election
A modified two-round system, or ballotage, is used. Like how Argentina's two-round system works, presidential candidates in Magisteria do not need to win a majority of the vote to win the presidency in a single round. In order to win the election in the first round, the winning candidate's party must receive either more than 45 percent of so-called "positive votes," or votes positifs or at least 40 percent of positive votes and be more than 10 percentage points ahead of the next most-voted candidate. Positive votes are valid votes cast for any of the candidates, leaving out of the count blank and spoiled ballots.

Term duration
Under the former Constitution of 1971, the president served for five years, with the possibility of immediate reelection for one more term. In the 1985 amendment, the President need the approval of the Parliament to allow reelection, Baptiste Bradford Vincent Jefferson Harrison, Peter Garrett and Carlos Perlman were, so far, the only four presidents to gain parliamentary approval for a second term.

Under the current Constitution of 2021, the presidential term was reduced to four years, with the possibility of immediate reelection for one more term. The incumbent president, in accordance with the constitution, completes their corresponding term on 10 February of the immediate year after the election. The president-elect takes office the same day.

Presidential sash
The presidential sash, used initially by Onésime Thibault, became a symbol of the authority of the first president with the assumption of office by Peter Brady in 1855. It is composed of three stripes with the colors of the Magisterian flag, it is sewn by hand and measured approximately 75 cm long and 13 cm wide.

Succession
In the case when the president is unable to perform their duties, their powers are usually temporarily transferred to the First Vice President. Snap elections are always held to legitimize the term of the acting president.

Inauguration rites
The ceremony since 1973 traditionally begins with the president-elect fetching the incumbent in the Presidential Palace on the morning of November 30. At the Palace's State Entrance, the president-elect will wait for the incumbent to descend the Grand Staircase. Upon meeting at the foot of the staircase, the president-elect would greet the incumbent. As mandated by the Constitution, the president-elect then takes the oath of office at exactly 12:00 PST (GMT-8); in 2013, President-elect Perlman did not await noon, instead taking his oath moments after First Vice-President-elect Eric Simmons and Second Vice-President-elect Elouan Babin finished doing so.

Oath of office
Under Article VII, Section 4 of the 2021 Constitution, before the president and vice-president can:

''SECTION 4. ...enter on the execution of their office, the President, the Vice-President, or the Acting President shall take the following oath or affirmation:'' “I, [full name of the president-elect], promise to preserve, defend and uphold the Constitution, observe the Laws, promote the general welfare of the Magisterian people, and to sustain the union, the integrity and the independence of the United Magisterian States"

The oath from the French version of the Constitution was used for the inaugurations of Pres. Harrison (second inauguration in 1998), Garrett, and Perlman:

"Je, [full name of the president-elect], promets de préserver, de défendre et de faire respecter la Constitution, d'observer les lois, de promouvoir le bien-être général du peuple magistériel et de soutenir l'union, l'intégrité et l'indépendance des États-Unis du Magistère"

Inaugural address
Every president delivered an inaugural address. Presidents, who became president upon the death of their predecessor, also delivered an address. It is usually delivered after the new president took the oath of office.