The Oberpräsident ( Supreme President ) was the highest administrative official in the Prussian provinces.
38-619: The Oberpräsident of a Prussian province was the supreme representative of the Prussian crown, until its downfall in 1918, in the province. In the 17th and 18th centuries he was appointed by the prince-electors or by the King and answered only to him. From 1808 and 1815, the Oberpräsident on behalf of the king exercised the right of inspection, the supreme supervision of the administration in his province. He was, however, not in-charge of
76-522: A particular presidential candidate. When the Electoral College sits, soon after the election, it formally elects the candidate that has won a majority of the members of the Electoral College. Members of the federal cabinet, including the vice president, are in practice nominated by the president, and are thus elected indirectly. The Electoral College is a controversial issue in U.S. politics, especially following presidential elections when voting
114-404: A semi-presidential system with a directly elected president distinct from the prime minister. A head of government is in charge of the daily business of government and overseeing central government institutions. In presidential systems the president is the head of government and head of state. In parliamentary systems the head of government is usually the leader of the party with the most seats in
152-639: A system of indirect democracy. The National People's Congress elects the president , also known as the state chairman, who serves as head of state. The power of the presidency is largely ceremonial, the vast majority of power stems from the president's position as leader of the Communist Party and head of the military. The president of the European Commission is nominated by the European Council and confirmed or denied by
190-464: Is one of the oldest forms of elections and is used by many countries for heads of state (such as presidents ), cabinets , heads of government (such as prime ministers ), and/or upper houses . It is also used for some supranational legislatures . Positions that are indirectly elected may be chosen by a permanent body (such as a parliament ) or by a special body convened solely for that purpose (such as an electoral college ). In nearly all cases
228-454: Is polarized geographically in such a way that the electoral college elects a candidate who did not win an absolute majority of the popular vote . The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact , if enacted, would effectively replace the indirect election via the Electoral College with a de facto plurality -based direct election. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China specifies
266-429: Is run by electoral college or president. An election can be partially indirect, for example in the case of indirect single transferable voting , where only eliminated candidates select other candidates to transfer their vote share to. A head of state is the official leader and representative of a country. The head of state position can vary from ceremonial figurehead with limited power to powerful leader depending on
304-498: Is thus indirectly elected as political parties elect their own leader through internal democratic process, while the general public choose from amongst the local candidates of the various political parties or independents. The Westminster model continues to be used in a number of Commonwealth countries including Australia , Canada , New Zealand , Singapore and the United Kingdom . Additionally many nations colonized by
342-651: Is typified by the United States, at both the federal and state levels. That is primary elections and/or caucuses are responsible for choosing candidates, whose preselection is ratified by a party convention . Some examples of indirectly elected supranational legislatures include: the parliamentary assemblies of the Council of Europe , OSCE , the WEU and NATO – in all of these cases, voters elect national parliamentarians, who in turn elect some of their own members to
380-619: The Legislature of the various states until ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913. Since that time they have been elected by direct popular vote. In some cases, most officials, including most members of legislatures – national and subnational – may be regarded as elected indirectly, because they are preselected by political parties. This kind of system
418-805: The Saar Territory (formerly in the Rhineland). Following the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, the Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich was enacted on 30 January 1934. This formally de-federalized the German Reich and created a centralized state. Prussia and its provinces formally continued to exist, but the state Landtag and provincial parliaments were abolished and governance was placed under
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#1732771861606456-685: The Austro-Prussian War put an end to the aspirations of a grand unified state consisting of all German-speaking states. Instead the North German Confederation was created under Prussian leadership. Following the Franco-Prussian War and the incorporation of the southern states of Bavaria , Baden and Württemberg into the confederation, the German Empire was proclaimed in 1871. From 1875
494-636: The British Empire inherited the Westminster model following their independence. In Spain , the Congress of Deputies votes on a motion of confidence of the king's nominee ( customarily the party leader whose party controls the Congress) and the nominee's political manifesto , an example of an indirect election of the prime minister of Spain . In Germany , the federal chancellor -
532-652: The Inner Mongolian provinces were represented), eight from Tibet and eight from the overseas Chinese communities. As originally envisioned both the President and Vice President of the Control Yuan were to be elected by and from the members like the speaker of many other parliamentary bodies worldwide. The Control Yuan became a sole auditory body in Taiwan in 1993 after democratisation. In France , election to
570-542: The Kingdom of Prussia was reconstituted with a republican government as the Free State of Prussia . The Free State promoted the democratisation of the provinces, the provincial parliaments (Provinziallandtage) were elected in direct elections by the voters, unlike before when elected county councillors chose from their midst members for the provincial parliaments. Prussia had to cede virtually all territory belonging to
608-584: The Prussian government in the province, and was busy with implementing and supervising central prerogatives of the Prussian government. The provinces of Prussia were further subdivided into government districts ( Regierungsbezirke ), subject to the High Commissioner. As to self-rule each province also had a provincial diet ( Provinziallandtag in German), the members of which were elected in indirect election by county councillors and city councillors of
646-579: The Weimar Republic. Under the Third Reich , the powers of the Oberpräsident were extended. They then were also responsible for Reich interests, similar to the powers of a Reichsstatthalter . This article about politics in Germany is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Provinces of Prussia The Provinces of Prussia ( German : Provinzen Preußens ) were
684-516: The body that controls the executive branch (such as a cabinet ) is elected indirectly. This includes the cabinets of most parliamentary systems ; members of the public elect the parliamentarians, who then elect the cabinet. Upper houses, especially in federal republics, are often indirectly elected, either by the corresponding lower house or cabinet. Similarly, supranational legislatures can be indirectly elected by constituent countries' legislatures or executive governments. The indirect democracy
722-664: The constituent rural counties and independent cities. Western Provinces: In 1822 the Rhine Province was created from the merger of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg provinces. Eastern Provinces ( East Elbia ): In 1829 the Province of Prussia was created by the merger of East Prussia and West Prussia , lasting until 1878 when they were again separated. Congruent with the Kingdom of Prussia proper (i.e. former Ducal and Royal Prussia ), its territory, like
760-665: The defeat and the division of Germany following the end of World War II in 1945 and was formally abolished in February 1947 by Control Council Law No. 46 . Several of its provinces attained statehood or became a part of other post-war states in East Germany and West Germany. Indirect election An indirect election or hierarchical voting, is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system ), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It
798-538: The direct control of a Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor). In addition, the Law on the Abolition of the Reichsrat of 14 February 1934 removed the right of the state and its provinces to participate in the Reich legislative process. They previously had controlled 26 of the 66 Reichsrat seats. The following is a summary of the changes in the Prussian provinces between 1919 and 1945: Prussia did not survive
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#1732771861606836-538: The directly elected European Parliament (see Elections to the European Parliament ). Republics with parliamentary systems usually elect their head of state indirectly (e.g. Germany , Italy , Estonia , Latvia , Malta , Hungary , India , Israel , Bangladesh ). Several parliamentary republics, such as Ireland , Austria , Croatia , Bulgaria and the Czech Republic , operate using
874-581: The dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 and the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the various German states gained nominal sovereignty. However, the reunification process that culminated in the creation of the German Empire in 1871, produced a country that was constituted of several principalities and dominated by one of them, the Kingdom of Prussia after it had ultimately defeated its Austrian rival. Its territory covered some 60 percent of
912-674: The district president, who was directly subordinate to the Prussian Ministry of the Interior in Berlin. The Oberpräsident had the right to be informed by the district presidents about all aspects of the province, he could take in all administrative procedures insight and was allowed to intervene in case of problems. The position was maintained when the Prussian monarchy was dissolved, and the Free State of Prussia took its place in
950-481: The government structure and historical legacy of the country. For instance, in some cases heads of state inherit the position through a monarchy whereas others are indirectly or directly elected such as presidents. Several examples are included below. The President of the United States is elected indirectly. In a US presidential election , eligible members of the public vote for the electors of an Electoral College , who have previously pledged publicly to support
988-530: The help of a Prussian government-appointed provincial council ( German : Provinzialrat ). In 1881 the final province of the Kingdom of Prussia was established when Berlin was separated from Brandenburg. In 1918 following World War I the German Empire was dissolved and replaced by the Weimar Republic . The following were the existing Prussian provinces: After the fall of the German Empire
1026-452: The highest level of administration in the Kingdom of Prussia and Free State of Prussia until 1933, when Nazi Germany established de facto direct rule over provincial politics, and were formally abolished in 1946 following World War II . The Prussian provinces became the basis for many federal states of Germany , and the states of Brandenburg , Lower Saxony , and Schleswig-Holstein are direct successors of provinces. Following
1064-459: The largest coalition of supporters in parliament. In almost all cases, the prime minister is the leader of a political party (or coalition ) that has a majority in the parliament, or the lower house (such as the House of Commons ), or in the situation that no one party has a majority then the largest party or a coalition of smaller parties may attempt to form a minority government. The prime minister
1102-529: The legislature. Several examples of heads of government who are chosen through indirect elections are summarized below. The most prominent position in parliamentary democracies is the prime ministership. Under the Westminster system , named after and typified by the parliament of the United Kingdom , a prime minister (or first minister, premier, or chief minister) is the person that can command
1140-482: The main administrative divisions of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. Prussia's province system was introduced in the Stein-Hardenberg Reforms in 1815, and were mostly organized from duchies and historical regions . Provinces were divided into several Regierungsbezirke , sub-divided into Kreise (districts), and then into Gemeinden (townships) at the lowest level. Provinces constituted
1178-564: The most powerful position on the federal level - is elected indirectly by the Bundestag , which in turn is elected by the population. The federal president , the head of state, proposes candidates for the chancellor's office. Although this has never happened, the Bundestag may in theory also choose to elect another person into office, which the president has to accept. Some countries have nonpartisan heads of government who are appointed by
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1216-594: The president, such as the Prime Minister of Singapore . Members of the German Bundesrat are appointed (delegated) by the Landtag of the various states . The Control Yuan of China , formerly a parliamentary chamber, was elected directly by its respective legislatures across the country: five from each province, two from each directly administered municipality, eight from Mongolia (by 1948 only
1254-603: The province of Posen, was not part of the German Confederation. In 1850 the Province of Hohenzollern in Southern Germany , was created from the annexed principalities of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen . In 1866, following the Austro-Prussian War, Prussia annexed several German States that had been allied with Austria and, together with previously occupied Danish territory, organized them into three new provinces: The outcome of
1292-904: The provinces of Posen and West Prussia to the newly created state of Poland and the League of Nations mandate of the Free City of Danzig . Smaller areas had been ceded to Belgium ( East Cantons , formerly in the Rhineland), Czechoslovakia ( Hlučín Region , formerly in Silesia), Denmark ( Northern Schleswig , formerly in Schleswig-Holstein), the League of Nations mandate of the Memel Territory (formerly in East Prussia), Poland (eastern Upper Silesia , formerly in Silesia), and
1330-561: The provinces were bodies combining regional home rule through representatives delegated from each rural and urban district ( German : Landkreis and Stadtkreis ), forming the provincial diet ( German : Provinziallandtag ) with a 6-year term, which elected from its midst a head of this self-administration, the Landesdirektor (with a 6 to 12-year term), and a provincial government ( German : Provinzialausschuss , lit. ' provincial committee ' ) as well as part of
1368-435: The superordinated overall Prussian royal administration, supervising - on a provincial range - the self-governing municipalities and counties as well as each governorate ( German : Regierungsbezirk , mere supervising bodies of the Prussian government). For this purpose, the respective Prussian minister of interior affairs appointed a High Commissioner ( German : Oberpräsident ) to each province, who fulfilled his task with
1406-632: The territory that was to become the German Reich . The German Confederation was established at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and the Kingdom of Prussia was a member until the dissolution in 1866 following the Austro-Prussian War . The Prussian state was initially subdivided into ten provinces. The Prussian government appointed the heads of each province known as Oberpräsident (i.e. High Commissioner). The Oberpräsident represented
1444-676: The upper house of Parliament, the Sénat , is indirect. Electors (called " Grands électeurs ") are locally elected representatives. Members of the Indian Rajya Sabha (upper house of parliament) are largely elected directly by the Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) of the various states and Union territories ; some are appointed by the president . Members of the United States Senate were elected directly by
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