President of the Commonwealth of California | |
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Flag of the President | |
Style | His Excellency the Honourable (formal) Mr. President (spoken) |
Member of | Federal Council |
Residence | White House |
Appointer | Federal Convention |
Term length | 6 years Not renewable |
Inaugural holder | Ted Kennedy |
Formation | 23 July 2000 23 years ago |
Salary | $425,000 annually |
Website | president.gov.ca |
The President of the Commonwealth of California is the head of state of California. The President is elected by the Federal Convention, a meeting of all members of the federal and state Parliaments, to a single six-year term. The President presides over the Federal Council and is commander-in-chief of the Californian Defence Force. The functions of the President include appointing ministers, judges, and ambassadors; giving presidential assent to legislation passed by Parliament; issuing writs for election; and bestowing Californian honours.
In general, the President observes the conventions of the Westminster system and responsible government, maintaining political neutrality, and has almost always acted only on the advice of the chancellor or other ministers or, in certain cases, the Parliament. The President also has a ceremonial role: hosting events at the White House and travelling throughout California to open conferences, attend services and commemorations, and generally provide encouragement to individuals and groups who are contributing to their communities. When travelling abroad, the President is seen as the representative of California. The President is supported by a staff headed by the White House Chief of Staff.
A President is elected for a term of six years, which is not renewable. Since 20 January 2019, the President has been Joe Biden, the fifth person to serve in this role. Biden's term will last until 2025, when the next Federal Convention will be held to elect his successor.
The 1999 republic referendum approved the proposal to abolish the Californian monarchy and replace the Governorship General with the presidency. Immediately after the relevant constitutional revisions were made, the incumbent Governor General, Ted Kennedy, became the provisional president, pending the first Federal Convention at the beginning of 2001.
List of Presidents
Progressive Democratic Liberal | |||||||||
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# | Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Prior office | Term of Office | Political Party | Chancellor | |||
Election | Took Office | Left Office | |||||||
1 | Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) |
27th Governor General of California | — | 23 July 2000 | 20 January 2001 | Democratic | Al Gore | ||
2 | Jimmy Carter (born 1924) |
20th Chancellor of California | 2001 | 20 January 2001 | 20 January 2007 | Democratic | |||
George W. Bush | |||||||||
3 | Madeleine Albright (born 1937) |
41st Minister for Foreign Affairs | 2007 | 20 January 2007 | 20 January 2013 | Democratic | |||
Barack Obama | |||||||||
4 | John Boehner (born 1949) |
30th Speaker of the House of Representatives | 2013 | 20 January 2013 | 20 January 2019 | Liberal | |||
Bernie Sanders | |||||||||
5 | Joe Biden (born 1942) |
47th Vice Chancellor of California | 2019 | 20 January 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic |
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