4.0 Introduction

According to D.V. Verney, "The term Presidential has been chosen, because in this system, the offices of head of government and head of state are combined in a President." In the Presidential system, the head of the state is also the head of the government. He is the head of the executive branch of the government. The framers of the Constitution were faced with the problem that they had to appoint an executive authority (as the Articles of Confederation had missed out on it) and at the same time, did not want the powers to be excessive.

A natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, who is 35 years old and has been a resident of the United States for 14 years, is eligible to contest for Presidential elections. The President is indirectly elected by an Electoral College, in which each state chooses a certain number of electors equal to the number of Senators and representative in the Congress from the concerned State. The Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution limits the President to two full terms and a maximum tenure of ten years.

The President may be suspended from his post for some particular crimes, however the procedure is definitely complicated. He only forfeits his immunities when he is dismissed from office by impeachment. The President’s influence has always been great and it has steadily increased with time.

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Index

4.0 Introduction
4.1 The Powers of the President
4.2 The Functions of the President
4.3 The Organization of the Executive Branch
4.4 The Vice President and Presidential Succession

Chapter 5