First President of the Arstotzkan Union
| First President of the Arstotzkan Union | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Office of the Presidency | |
| Style | Comrade President (informal) Comrade First President (diplomatic) |
| Abbreviation | FirstPOTAU |
| Member of | Executive Committee Politburo of the SDPPAU Arstotzkan Federal Congress House of Representatives People's Armed Forces of the Arstotzkan Union |
| Residence | 1 Union Dr, Gollandiya Capitol Territory, Eastern Arstotzkan State, Arstotzkan Union |
| Term length | For life |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of the Arstotzkan Union |
| Precursor | President of the Arstotzkan Union |
| First holder | Ethan Brinkman |
| Deputy | Vice President of the Arstotzkan Union |
The First President of the Arstotzkan Union (FirstPOTAU) is the head of state and co-head of government in the Arstotzkan Union. The First President has the oversight of the Executive Branch, Legislative and the Judicial Branch of the Arstotzkan Federal Government. The First President is the General of the People's Armed Forces of the Arstotzkan Union and has full control of the PAFAU.
The First President is not the supreme ruler of the state, he is in co-governance with the Second President of the Arstotzkan Union originally under the Coalition Agreement between President Ethan Brinkman and Peter Gedye in March 2020, but this was amended to the Constitution of the Arstotzkan Union on 22 May 2021 stating:
No one man shall hold supreme power over the Independent Federal Republic of the Arstotzkan Union and thus, a Twin - Presidential system shall remain in the Office of the Presidency. This Article shall enforce that the Office of the Presidency shall remain the Supreme Office of the Arstotzkan Federal Government and shall hold all power over the Independent Federal Republic of the Arstotzkan Union.
— Section 4, Article 9, Constitution of the Arstotzkan Union
Although the First President is in co-governance with the Second President, he is regarded as the most powerful man in the Arstotzkan Union. Many democracy analysts in the Arstotzkan Union have concluded that the First President only uses the Second President as a means to make it look like there is some form of checks and balances in the Office of the Presidency. With many concluding that without the Second President's control the First President would become an absolute dictator, with comparisons made between the First President and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Similar democracy and government analyst's have also made the conclusion that the First President is the most un-democratic position in the Micronational world. The Arstotzkan Federal Government including the Second and Vice Presidents have fought back against these assumptions claiming that the use of a tri-leadership executive office is the strongest point in democracy and the inclusion of their roles as not being above or below that of the First President makes the Arstotzkan Union one of the strongest socialist republics in the world.
History
The first First President was Ethan Brinkman. On 2 May 2020, Ethan established the office of the First President of the Arstotzkan Union. Originally the First President would be temporary under the Brinkman - Gedye Administration, however this was changed when the Constitution was updated in May 2021, and the Office became permanent.
From 2 May 2020 to February 4, 2021, Ethan Brinkman was the First President, with Peter Gedye as Second President. However during the Arstotzkan - Confederate War, Ethan announced his temporary resignation due to his actions at the start of the war that helped in starting it. Following this, and for the first time in Arstotzkan history, Ethan Brinkman became the Prime Minister (now State Governor) of Sostoyaniye and Zion Ormsby became the First President.
Under, what is known as, the Ormsby - Gedye Administration, Zion helped to continue the Federalisation of the Arstotzkan Union, which led to the creation of the House of Representatives of the Arstotzkan Union and the Arstotzkan Federal Congress.
On 1 June 2021 as a part of the agreement with the former incumbent First President, Ethan Brinkman returned as the First President and also as the Kommondant of the PAFAU (AUNDF at the time). Since then, Ethan Brinkman has remained the incumbent First President.
First Presidents
The following is a list of the First Presidents of the Arstotzkan Union
| Name | Term Start | Term End | Total | Order | Status | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rt. Hon. First President Kmdt. Ethan Brinkman | 1 May 2020 | 4 February 2021 | 279 days | 1st | Term Ended | SDPPAU |
| Rt. Hon. Vice President Lt. Gen. Zion Ormsby | 4 February 2021 | 1 June 2021 | 117 days | 2nd | Term Ended | SDPPAU |
| Rt. Hon. First President Kmdt. Ethan Brinkman | 1 June 2021 | Incumbent | 2 years, 328 days | 3rd | Incumbent | SDPPAU (1 June 2021 - 5 April 2022)
Arstotzkan Future Party (since 5 April 2022) |
Gallery
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First President Ethan Brinkman with current CDG President Elijah Tibbits. (10 November 2020)
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Acting First President Ethan Brinkman swearing in Vice President Zion Ormsby (4 February 2021)
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Lt. Gen. First President Zion Ormsby (left) with Mjr. Gen. Ethan Brinkman (right) after Marines of the Arstotzkan Marine Corps (1st Regiment) invaded the Confederate Democracy of Gamers. (15 April 2021)
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First President Ethan Brinkman on Rat Island following the Invasion on 4 November 2022. It was the latest successful military operation by the People's Armed Forces of the Arstotzkan Union. This was the first time the People's Banner was used in battle.
Powers and Positions
Powers
The First President as the head of state and General of the People's Armed Forces of the Arstotzkan Union has many roles, some of which are legally implemented by the Constitution and some of which derive from the First Presidents positions. The First Presidents powers, roles and responsibilities include:
- Commander and Chief of the Defense Forces (cannot legally declare war without unanimous approval of the Arstotzkan Executive War Council)
- Ability to approve and veto legislation (with aid from Second and Vice Presidents)
- Ability to appoint members to the Executive Committee.
- Ability to declare states of emergency and martial law
- Ability to dissolve Executive Committee, Arstotzkan Federal Congress, House of Representatives and other bodies of the Arstotzkan Federal Government including the State offices
- Ability to appoint members to the State offices
- Ability to appoint and or remove military ranks
- Power to give citizenship, residency and immigration status to nationals
- Power over the Constitution and the Constitutional Framework
Positions
The First President also has a lot of positions these give the First President a majority of his powers. These are:
- First General Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Office of the Presidency
- General of the People's Armed Forces of the Arstotzkan Union
- Chief of the Arstotzkan Federal Police Service
- Supreme Legislator of the House of Representatives of the Arstotzkan Union
- Embassy Commander from a Foreign Authority for the Manawatu Embassy.
- Chairman Speaker of the Arstotzkan Federal Congress
- Chief Justice of the Supreme Federal Court of the Arstotzkan Union
- Arstotzkan Press Director
- General Secretary of the Arstotzkan Union National News Network
- Chief Ambassador of International Affairs (Department of International Affairs and Relations)
- Territory Commander of the Gollandiya, Angliyskiy, Yuzhnaya Zemlya and Te Whakapaipai Territories
- State Representative for the Eastern Arstotzkan State
Oath
Main article: Oath of Allegiance (Arstotzkan Union)
The First President, to become such, must place his/her right hand over a official religious text of their choice, commonly this has been the Holy Bible. They must then state the following:
I [Name] solemnly swear to take up the position as a Supreme Member of the Office of the Presidency of the Arstotzkan Union. It shall be my duty to protect the Constitution and the citizens of the Arstotzkan Union through any means that shall continue peace, as well as defend all peoples and our allies to last for generations. So help me god may I be guided to Defend, Protect and Govern to the best of my ability.
Acting First Presidents
On 5 January 2021, First President Ethan Brinkman became Acting First President after announcing his resignation following his involvement in starting the first Arstotzkan - Confederate War. The following is a list of all the Acting First Presidents
| No. | Name | Picture | Term | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethan Brinkman |
|
6 January 2021 - 4 February 2021
(29 Days) |
Arstotzkan Social Liberal Democratic Party |
| 2 | Peter Geyde | N/A | 22 March 2022 - 29 March 2022
(7 Days) |
Communist League of the Arstotzkan Union |