The President of the United States of America heads both the state and government of the U.S. He is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and is considered to be the most powerful person on planet Earth. He heads the executive branch of the federal government, and is one of the two nationally elected federal officers; the Vice President being the other one. The election of the President is an indirect one which is done through the Electoral College. An individual is elected to office for a four-year term. Barack Obama is the current and 44^th president of the country. Features of the Twenty-second Amendment

• It was adopted in 1951.
• If a person had previously served as president, then this act prohibits him/her from being elected more than once.
• It also forbids a person from being elected for a third full term. A four-year period is considered a one full term.

Essential Criteria Citizenship The person has to be a native-born U.S. citizen. If the person is born abroad but only to parents who were both citizens of the United States, then he/she is also eligible. There was a small loophole in the eligibility rule when the Constitution was first adopted. According to the Constitution, the person may not have been born in the U.S. but has to be a citizen in order to be eligible. However, this clause is no more considered as it was followed way back in 1789. Age The person should have completed at least 35 years of age in order to be eligible for this position. There is no maximum age limit for this post. John F. Kennedy was the youngest President of the U.S. He was elected to office when he was 43 years old. On the other hand, Ronald Reagan was 77 years old when he left the White House in 1988. Stay Period In addition to being a natural-born citizen, one should have lived in the U.S. for a minimum of 14 years. This will help the person to be aware of the general issues impacting the American population. However, there is an ambiguity in this criterion, as the Constitution does not clearly mention whether the 14 years have to be consecutive years or not. Along with the above-mentioned requirements, the citizens expect the President to be of a good character and have high regard for human values. One should also be charismatic, possess impeccable public speaking skills, and have clarity about the burning issues of the country.