Captains Regent (; ) are the two

heads of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

of the

Republic of San Marino A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a state in which political power rests with the public (people), typically through their representatives—in contrast to a monarchy. Although a ...

. They are elected every six months by the

Grand and General Council The Grand and General Council (; ) is the unicameral parliament of San Marino. The council has 60 members elected for a five-year term. History From the fifth century San Marino was ruled by an assembly composed by all the family heads known ...

, the country's

legislative body A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers o ...

. Normally the Regents are chosen from parties in coalition and serve a six-month term. The investiture of the Captains Regent takes place on 1 April and 1 October every year. This tradition dates back at least to 1243. The practice of dual heads of government (

diarchy Diarchy (from Greek , ''di-'', "double", and , ''-arkhía'', "ruled"),Occasionally spelled ''dyarchy'', as in the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' article on the colonial British institution duarchy, or duumvirate. is a form of government charac ...

) is derived directly from the customs of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

, equivalent to the

consuls A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

, except the Captains Regent hold no executive power.

History

The establishment of the regency took place during the first half of the thirteenth century, when they had the role of managing justice, a task similar to the competence of

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

s. During that period they were called consuls, which derived from

. The first two known consuls were elected on 12 December 1243 by the

with a six-month term which is still used today. At the end of the thirteenth century, the name of the institution started to change, as one took the title of "captain" and the other one of "defender", then in 1317 they became captain and rector. One usually belonged to the upper class, to guarantee the possession of skills necessary to govern the Republic with competence, and one to the working class. A 1972 law abolished all the restrictions which prevented women from taking public positions. Maria Lea Pedini-Angelini, was elected the first female Captain Regent on 1 April 1981. On 1 April 2017, for the first time two women, Vanessa D'Ambrosio and Mimma Zavoli, occupied the posts of Captains Regent, until their term ended on 1 October 2017. As of 1 April 2020, after electing its eighteenth female Captain Regent, San Marino is the country that has had the most female heads of state in the world (however, many other countries have had a female head of state for longer than the combined 10.5 years of these 18 Captains Regent). San Marino tron kapitanow regentow

Election

Captains Regent are elected every six months by the

, they usually belong to opposite parties to grant an amount of balance and an equal supervision. The electoral procedure is disciplined by a 1945 law, which is mainly based on the Leges Statutae Republicae Sancti Marini of 1600. The pair is elected if it achieves an absolute majority; there is a second ballot if no pair gets enough votes.

Eligibility

To be eligible for election the candidate should have the following requirements: * Citizenship from birth (''

jus sanguinis ( or , ), meaning 'right of blood', is a principle of nationality law by which nationality is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents. Children at birth may be nationals of a particular state if either or both of thei ...

'') * Be at least 25 years old * Be an elected deputy of the

* Not have been elected Captain Regent in the last three years

Investiture

Investiture ceremonies take place on 1 April and 1 October every year, and are prescribed by Leges Statutae Republicae Sancti Marini. In the morning, in the Piazza della Libertà, the Sammarinese Armed Forces are assembled for the flag-raising ceremony taking place. As the flag is hoisted to the national anthem, the artillery unit fires a gun salute. The newly elected Captains Regent proceed from the

Palazzo Pubblico The Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) is a historic palace in Siena, Tuscany, in central Italy. Located on the Piazza del Campo, it is one of the principal architectural landmarks of the city's historic center. Construction began in 1297 to serve ...

to the Basilica of San Marino where a High Mass is led by the Bishop of San Marino in celebration of their assumption of office. The ''entourage'' returns to the palazzo, where the official address is made and the elected Captains Regent are sworn in according to the oath describes in the Statutes of 1600. The outgoing Captains Regent place the collar of the Order of San Marino on the new Captains Regent, finalizing the transfer of power. The swearing in ends as the band plays the national anthem and the outgoing Captains Regent afterward take their leave. The procession then heads to Palazzo Valloni for the assumption of the Captain's Throne and the residency. Finally, the Armed Forces assemble once more for a flag lowering ceremony.

Power

The Regency is considered the supreme office of the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. The Captains Regent are the

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

, a function which they carry out as a single body, with a reciprocal right of

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...

. They have the right to be addressed with the

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...

title of

Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

. The Captains Regent are impartial and their power is mainly symbolic, as their main duty is to represent the country and to guarantee the constitutional order. They supervise the

, the Congress of State and the Council of XII, but without any right to vote or to decide. They dissolve the parliament when the legislature is over or when it is unable to form a stable government. The Captains Regent also have the power to promulgate and order the publication of the laws approved by the Grand and General Council.

Regency Syndicate

The Captains Regent cannot be prosecuted in any way during their mandate, at the end of which they are subject to the Regency Syndicate. This judgement, established by the Statutes of 1499, is now fulfilled by the Guarantors' Panel on the Constitutionality of Rules, following the revision of the Declaration on the Citizens' Rights. The procedure provides that, within fifteen days after the conclusion of their mandate, every citizen registered in the electoral lists may submit claims against the Captains Regent "for what they have and have not done" during their mandate.

References

External links

Republic of San Marino – Captains Regent
{{Authority control Politics of San Marino * 1243 establishments in Europe Collective heads of state