President-Elect

A person who has been elected to a position but who has not yet been installed may be referred to as an officer-elect. For example, a President who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a President-elect (e.g. President-elect of Ghana).

Analogously, the term -designate (e.g. Prime Minister-designate) is used in systems without direct elections of executive politicians, such as in parliamentary systems.

This usage of the term -elect originated in the Catholic Church, where bishops were elected but would not take office until ordained. In addition, the winner of a papal election would be known as the pope-elect until he was confirmed and actually became pope.

The term entered politics with the practice of elective monarchy. For example, the Holy Roman Emperor was elected by a college of prince-electors, but the winning candidate would not become emperor until he was crowned by the Pope. Between election and coronation, he was known as the imperator electus, or Emperor-elect.

By the 19th century, the term had expanded to describe any position in which a substantial period of time elapses between election and installation. For example, it was common in the 19th century to refer to a fiancée as a bride-elect.

The bylaws of some clubs and other organizations may define an official position of President-Elect similar to a Vice President position. The members of the organization elect the President-Elect, rather than directly electing the organization's President. The President-Elect may be given limited duties, similar to a Vice-President. At the end of the term, the President-Elect is promoted to the position of President, and a new President-Elect is elected. The advantage of this schema is a clear continuity of succession, as well as the opportunity to familiarize the President-Elect with the operations of the organization before becoming President. A possible drawback is that once a President-Elect has been elected, another person cannot be elected President unless the President-Elect resigns or is removed from office.

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