Office of the President

The Office of the President is an executive office of the Upper Government of Merrifort established in 1966 and has been headed by various Presidents till today. It was introduced by James Shields, who was the first to head it.

The President has the right to veto any laws passed by Parliament. He can also purpose and amend bills. The president is the most important politician in the country, elected every four years.

History
On 7 June 1966, James Shields, who signed a Declaration of Independence with other heads of state that year, was officially declared the first President of Merrifort by his established government and the President Susan Phelps. The function of Chief Minister was abolished, and Carrington, as President, took control of the government and made the monarchy less powerful. He was appointed President for life, and at his death in 1802, he was succeeded by his son David James Carrington. At this moment Ambroos I was the king, and he dismissed Carrington's son from the post in 1809.

According to the 1802 constitution, the President was appointed by the monarch; he was a confidant of the king and was appointed for an indefinite term. King Ambroos appointed Walter van der Ecke, who would remain in office until 1838, the longest presidential term in Brunanter history.

Cristian I was a conservative, but under public pressure he was forced to limit appointed officials (including the President) to six year terms. In 1852, this was a move towards democracy by instituting liberal reforms.

Since 1882, the President has been elected by popular vote. Filip Van Buskirk, who already had a term as President, was the first democratically elected official.

In 1902, the post of Prime Minister was introduced and since then, the President of Brunant has acted as acting head of government. Until then, the President was responsible to form a government.

In 1978, Silvia Van Damme became the first female President of Brunant.

The office of president was abolished in 2014 following much discussion into the matter and a popular referendum in the spring of 2014. Gert Henneman was the last President.