vice president job description
Vice President Job Description
The vice president of a country is one of the most important positions in the government. The article below enlists the job description of a vice president.
- The constitution of every country spells out the powers and duties bestowed on the vice president.
- Usually there are two major duties which a vice president performs - first in line of succession and the chairperson of the upper house of the national legislative assembly, which in case of the United States of America, is the Senate.
- First in the line of succession means, in case the incumbent president is not able to perform his or her duties, the vice president takes over as president. Moreover, in the event of death or resignation of the president, the vice president is declared as the president.
- As such, he or she is the first person who is entitled to assume the responsibilities of the presidency in the absence of the president. So, when Richard Nixon resigned as the president of the United States, Gerald Ford took over as the president.
- The second major duty of the vice president of any country is presiding as the chairperson of the sittings of the upper house of the national legislative assembly.
- As per the constitutions of most countries (which have created the position of vice president), the vice president does not take part in the debate which goes on in the assembly. The person only has the power to cast a vote only in case of a tie.
- The vice president is also responsible for reading out the results which the Electoral College gives, thereby announcing the winner in a presidential election.
- Other than the above mentioned constitutional duties, the other functions of the vice president depends on the kind of role, which the president wants to give to the vice president.
- In a presidential form of government where the powers of the president is supreme, the vice president may be allowed to act an advocate of a particular policy of the government, such as foreign policy or matters related to health care.
- He or she may work in the background and advice the president on policy matters. The vice president is also given the responsibility of attending official functions where the president does not think presidential attendance is necessary.
- Everything varies with the political strength of the person holding the office of the vice president. On the other hand, in a parliamentary form of government, where the president's power is itself limited, the vice president only acts as the chairperson of the upper house.