Aisha Ali

Dr. El Baradei

PPAD 513

3 October 2007

Comparing the Qualification for Presidency in United States, Iran and Germany

Qualification “refers to theses functions or roles and requires that the person playing a certain role must be qualified for it, typically in highly developed bureaucracies by adequate preparation and education.”76

Many countries have certain qualifications and requirements for elected officials, the presidency in many cases have strict requirements. By focusing on the United States, Iran, and Germany's requirements for presidency, I was able to get a different perspective of each one.

AGE

In the United States, the Constitution requires presidents to be natural-born citizens of the United States who are at least 35 years of age and have resided in the United States for fourteen years. The age requirement was adapted by forefathers to ensure the president able to lead the country properly. In Iran, the president must be between the ages of twenty-five to seventy five. The average ages of the presidents of Iran have been forty-eight years old. Even though Iran has the age minimum of twenty-five, the history of presidents has not reflected that. In Germany, the president must have reached the age of forty. The presidencies of each country have reflected the age minimum and have been instituted in not only the presidency but also other governmental positions. Although the age minimums are different for each country, the average age of the presidents in each country has been around forty. There are several reasons for this; many presidents have gone through secondary education, serve in the military and have earlier political careers. While the age limit may be twenty-five in Iran, one requirement for presidency is be “a well-known political figure.” For this to occur a person must be in the politcal scene for many years, this may be a reason why the average age of the presidents are in their forties.

TERM

The twenty-second Amendment of the United States Constitution sets a term limit for the President of the United States. "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once." Prior to the adoption of the amendment, the Constitution set no limit on the number of presidential terms. The United States Congress passed the amendment on March 21, 1947. It was ratified by the requisite number of states on February 27, 1951.[1] While in Iran there is no limit to how many terms the president can serve. Like the United States, Germany requires no more than two five-year terms for presidents.

RELIGION

Religion is not a requirement for the presidency in the United States. The phrase “so help me god” is optional when taking the oath of office in the United States. In the United States the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion so having a requirement for religion for the presidency would be highly condictive. Although the United States is is a non-afflifiated country, Iran is currently an Islamic republic. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran mandates that the official religion of Iran is Islam and the Twelver Ja'fari school. Though it also mandates that other Islamic schools are to be accorded full respect, and their followers are free to act in accordance with their own jurisprudence in performing their religious rites and recognizes Zoroastrian, Jewish, and ChristianIranians as religious minorities. [2]This means the president of Iran must be a practicing Muslim.

The German constitution guarantees freedom of faith and religion. It also states that no one may be discriminated against due to his or her faith or religious opinions. However, unlike some other countries, cooperation between the state and religious communities is entirely in keeping with the German constitution. Like the United States, the president does not have to be affiliated with a religious sect. In taking office, the president must take an oath, set by Article 56 of the Basic Law, before the assembled members of the Bundestag and Bundesrat. It is permitted for the president to omit the religious reference “so help me God.”

I swear that I will dedicate my efforts to the well-being of the German people, enhance their benefits, avert harm from them, uphold and defend the Constitution and the statutes of the Federation, fulfill my duties conscientiously, and do justice to all. So help me God.

UNWRITTEN RULE

Although there are several written requirements for all presidents, there are several unwritten rules that have surfaced throughout the years. For example, in the United States there is no religious institution that the government follows, yet every president has been Christian. The same has been in Germany, although the separation of church and state is apparent, every president has been of the Christian faith. In all three countries the president has been educated, have either come from wealthy families or have acquired wealth themselves and have had strong political presence before.

UNCLEAR ADJUSTIVES

The qualification for presidency in Iran may change in the next few years. Those requirements would be educational and formal, but would also include litmus tests on contentious and potentially vague issues like support for religion, morality, and Iranian independence. They would also impose endorsement requirements from senior politicians, civil servants, and academics. The proposed qualifications represent a considerable expansion on current constitutional restrictions. New requirements include at least a master's degree, familiarity with national and international issues and Iran's defense policies, and support of the constitution. Candidates would also have to support the propagation of religion, morality, and justice, and believe in Iran's independence. Other qualifications would include the ability to administer national affairs and to coordinate different agencies, as well as having a program for national political, economic, and cultural affairs.[3]
Words such as morality and justice may not measurable, but in the countries descriptions of leaders these sort of adjectives have been used. One way these sorts of things may be measured include understanding where the person has come from and what sort of things they have done in the past. Although this may not be an indicator in how they may run the country, it is a fair way to judge the character of the leader. In Iran case a person may not be convicted of a crime; this is a way to test the personality and character of the person.

SALARY

In the United States, the Constitution specifies that presidents receive compensation (salary and benefits) for their work, and Congress sets the specific amount. The salary of presidents cannot be increased or diminished during their term of office. Nor can the president receive additional payments from the federal government or any of the states while in office. The Constitution also disallows presidents and other federal officials from receiving any title of nobility, gift, payment, or official position from a king, prince, or foreign state. All gifts to a president from foreign governments belong to the people of the United States rather than the president. While in Germany, the president receives an annual payment of approximately €213,000 that continues when he or she leaves office. The salary of Presidents includes a base salary and the presidenal expenses. Iran current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a reputation for living the simple life and has cut out many of previous presidental expenses. He receives his salary but has done away with many of the expenses that past presidents have had.

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