President of the United Federation of Planets

The President of the United Federation of Planets (informally, the Federation president or the President of the Federation) was the democratically elected head of state and head of government of the United Federation of Planets. As the leader of the Federation, this president is the commander-in-chief of all Federation organizations and widely considered the most powerful person in the known Alpha and Beta Quadrants.
== History and specifics ==
=== Election and term of office ===
The President ascends to the position through a popular election, serving an unlimited number of four-year terms. Presidential candidates are declared by the Council of the United Federation of Planets, which reviews anonymously-submitted petitions for candidacy before declaring that a given individual qualifies for the office. When a president unexpectedly resigns, dies, or is otherwise unable to discharge the powers of the office, the Federation Council declares a councilor to be President Pro Tempore; the President Pro Tempore then servers for a short term length set by law, while a special election is then called by the Council.
=== General information ===
The president's office is on Floor Fifteen of the Federation's seat of government, the Palais de la Concorde, in Paris, Earth. Fifteen also features a private study for the president, an office room and waiting room for the president's secretary and guests, the Presidential Transporter Room, a large hallway, and two large meeting rooms named after former presidents: the Ra-ghoratreii Room and the Wescott Room.
The fourteenth and thirteenth floors house the president's staff, with the Presidential Chief of Staff's office and the offices of the cabinet members located on the outer rim of Floor Fourteen, while the presidential support staff, including the various deputy chiefs of staff, speechwriters, and other presidential employees, are housed on Floor Thirteen and the innermost rim of Fourteen's offices. It is customary for each administration to redecorate the Presidential Office and the top three floors of the Palais as that president sees fit.
The official residence of the President of the United Federation of Planets is Château Thelian, located in the Vallée de la Loire in France and built to the specifications of other such famous châteaux in the valley. Château Thelian is as large as the Château de Saint Brisson, which itself served as the residence of former presidential Chief of Staff Koll Azernal. Built during the term of Thelianaresth "Thelian" th'Vorothishria in the early 24th Century to serve as his residence, Château Thelian features a sitting room with the portraits of each president since Thelian. Château Thelian also features a private transporter room, typically used for quick transit between the château and the Palais. 
Until 2381, the president was protected at all times by members of Starfleet Security and its special presidential protection division. The Security officers were typically dressed in standard Federation Starfleet duty uniforms; on formal occasions, they would sometimes wear Starfleet dress uniforms or the formal dress of their homeworld. Starfleet Security maintained a continuous physical presence within the Palais adjacent to the president, and also was responsible for general security in the Palais.
In 2381, a division of the Federation Security Agency called the Protection Detail took over the duty of guarding the President. Protection Detail agents were not members of Starfleet and wore dark civilian uniforms.
For short-range interplanetary transport, the president has use of three private Starfleet shuttlecraft. For interstellar journeys, the President has use of a Starfleet ship known as Starfleet One. Federation starships such as the Sovereign-class USS Venture sometimes serve for presidential transport as well.
=== Form of address ===
The proper form of address for a President of the United Federation of Planets depends upon the nomenclature used by that individual's culture for their gender identity. Common forms of address for Federation presidents include:
* "Mister President" if a man (multiple cultures)
* "Madam President" if a woman (multiple cultures)
=== Legislative duties ===
The duties of the President of the United Federation of Planets are numerous. As the Federation lacks a strict separation of powers found in many governments, the president not only serves as head of the executive branch, but also serves as the head of the legislature. As such, the Articles of the Federation hold that the president is required to preside over all full sessions of the Council of the United Federation of Planets "barring special circumstances." The president "has the option, but is not required, to preside over meetings of the various sub-councils;" if the president chooses not to preside over a sub-council, then the chair of said council serves as the presiding officer. The president is also required to nominate Federation Councillors to the various sub-councils, with the full Council then being responsible for ratifying such nominations. While presiding over a Council or sub-council session, the president reserves the right to determine who may or may not speak to the council from the speaker's floor, and may also determine when voting on a bill or resolution is to take place, even though the president may not vote.
The president is generally expected to solicit the participation of councillors from the appropriate sub-councils when dealing with issues pertaining to that sub-council's jurisdiction, and a full sub-council sometimes is capable of exercising authority nearly equal to that of the president's over an issue. For instance, the Federation Security Council has the right to order Starfleet Operations to issue orders to subordinate Starfleet agencies such as the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, a right shared only by the admiralty and the president, though an order from the president does over-ride an order from a sub-council in executive issues.
The president has the right to executive review of legislation passed by the Federation Council, and may veto a bill. From there, the bill may be sent back to the Council, which may override the veto if a sufficiently large number of councillors vote as such. The president may also introduce bills and resolutions to the Council.
=== Military duties ===
The president serves as the commander-in-chief of the Federation's armed forces.
The specific post of "Commander-in-Chief of the Federation Starfleet" is held by the highest-ranking Starfleet officer.
The president has the right to declare a state of emergency on a Federation Member State, a political subdivision of a Member State, or in a political subdivision of the Federation itself. In 2372, for instance, former president Jaresh-Inyo of Grazer declared a state of emergency on Earth (the primary planetary political subdivision of United Earth, a founding Member, and capital planet of the UFP itself) in response to concerns about Changeling infiltration when that planet's power distribution system was sabotaged. This state of emergency entailed deploying large numbers of Federation Starfleet personnel across the planetary surface; President Jaresh-Inyo had originally criticized the measure as tantamount to a declaration of martial law before being convinced of its necessity.
The president may not declare war; that particular right is reserved to the Council.
The president may preside over special sessions of the Federation Judiciary Council which serve as courts-martial of Starfleet officers; former President Hiram Roth, for instance, presided over the council session that served as the court-martial of Starfleet officers James T. Kirk, Leonard McCoy, Montgomery Scott, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, and Nyota Uhura in 2286, following the destruction of the first USS Enterprise in orbit of the Genesis Planet. 
=== Foreign policy ===
The president is responsible for the appointment of Federation ambassadors to foreign nations, a responsibility apparently wielded unilaterally, without requiring the authorization of the Federation Council.
The president also sets the course for Federation foreign policy, though the Council can override the president's foreign policy directives if such a resolution has a sufficiently large majority of councilors behind it.
=== Miscellaneous duties ===
The president often presides over state dinners.
The president also has the power to pardon criminals.
== The Federation Cabinet ==
The Federation Cabinet was a collection of individuals within the Federation government who serve as the heads of the various executive departments of the Federation government and as the principle advisors to the President of the United Federation of Planets. The President appoints cabinet members, who are then confirmed by the Federation council. The cabinet is also said to include some members who are not the heads of executive agencies, but whose access and seniority is equal to that of the heads of executive departments.
The various executive departments, with the exception of the presidency, are:
* Department of Agriculture
* Department of Commerce
* Department of Defense
* Department of Education
* Department of Energy
* Department of the Exterior
* Department of Health and Sentient Services
* Department of Housing and Development
* Department of Justice
* Department of Labor
* Department of Science
* Department of Technology
* Department of Travel
* Director of the Federation Security Agency
* Director of the Environmental Protection Agency
* The President's Chief of Staff
* Starfleet Liaison to the President1
1 The Starfleet Liaison to the President is technically under the Department of Defense, however due to the wide range of the Federation military, both are included in the cabinet.
== President's staff ==
In addition to the cabinet and Federation Council, the President is also aided by various staff members who are responsible for their various offices in the Palais de la Concorde. Some of these roles include:
=== Chief of Staff ===
The President's Chief of Staff was a member of the Federation Cabinet but also the executive of Palais de la Concorde. The chief of staff, unlike other cabinet positions, does not require confirmation of the Federation Council. They also serve at the pleasure of the President. They are responsible for selection senior staffers and supervising their offices' activities; managing and designing the overall structure of the staff system; controlling the flow of people into the President's office; managing the flow of information to and decisions to the President; directing, managing, and overseeing all policy development; protecting the political interests of the president; negotiating legislation and appropriating funds with the Federation Council, cabinet secretaries, and extra-governmental groups to implement the president's agenda; and advise on any and usually various issues set by the president. 
* Chief of Staff
** Deputy Chief of Staff
** Deputy Chief of Staff
* Federation Security Advisor
** Deputy Federation Security Advisor
* Palais de la Concorde Counsel
* Press Secretary
* Advisors
** Senior Advisors