Presidential elections are being held in the United States, the oldest democracy in the world. The race is between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. Voting has begun and within a while it will be known who will assume power in the most powerful country in the world.
The president of the United States is seen as the most powerful leader in the world. The reason is that the United States is not only the most powerful country in the world, but it also has influence over many global institutions.
Being an American president, whatever decisions you make, your impact is visible around the world. This is the reason why the world keeps its eyes on the presidential elections to be held in the United States.
However, now that the United States will have a new president in some time, it will be interesting to know what is the difference between the president of India and that of the United States.
How is the president elected?
Unlike India, the presidential election process in the United States is quite complex and interesting. Currently, in the voting that takes place in the United States, people do not vote directly for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. Rather, they are choosing electors. These electors will later elect the President.
538 electors from 50 states of America are chosen. These form the Electoral College. The candidate who obtains 270 electoral colleges or more becomes president.
On the other hand, in India, the President is elected by the members of the Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly. When the presidential elections were held in 2022, 233 members of the Rajya Sabha, 543 members of the Lok Sabha and 4,033 members of the Legislative Assembly had cast their votes. The value of all these votes was 10,86,431. The value of the votes of the MPs and MLAs of each state is different.
Furthermore, when elections are held for the post of President in India, each party or alliance announces its candidate. For this there is no choice in the party or alliance. But in the United States, voting is also done within the party to become a presidential candidate.
swearing in date in the united states
The term of office of the president in India is set for five years, while in the United States it is four years. In India, a person can participate in presidential elections as many times as they wish. But in the United States, no one gets more than two terms. That is, in the United States a person can remain president for a maximum of 8 years.
Elections will now be held in the United States, but the swearing-in of the new president will take place in January 2025. The swearing-in of the President and Vice President will take place in the United States on January 20, 2025.
While in India no such date has been set. In India, the new president is sworn in when the previous president’s term ends. For example, former President Ram Nath Kovind’s term ended on July 24, 2022 and after him, Draupadi Murmu was sworn in as President on July 25.
This power lies solely with the Indian president.
According to Article 361 of the Indian Constitution, the president is not answerable to any court while in office. A President cannot be arrested or detained nor can any court issue any order. The President has immunity in both civil and criminal cases. However, after leaving office you may be arrested or detained.
But this is not the case in the United States. The US Constitution grants the president immunity in civil matters, but he may face charges for illegal or criminal activities. Not only this, an investigation can also be carried out against the President.
Similarly, the President of India is removed by impeachment. For this, it is necessary to pass the impeachment motion by a two-thirds majority in both houses, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. Whereas impeachment can only be brought against the president of the United States if there are accusations of treason, corruption or serious crimes.
Furthermore, in 1967 the 25th Amendment was added to the United States Constitution, after which the president can also be removed by his cabinet. The 25th Amendment says that if the Cabinet deems the President no longer fit to hold office, then he can be removed from office by submitting a resolution with a majority vote. The signature of the Vice President is also required for this proposal.
What is the difference at work?
In India, the president has limited powers. In India, the real powers rest with the Prime Minister. The Indian President works only on the advice of the Union Cabinet. However, he is the Supreme Commander of the three armies. In India, any bill becomes law only when the president signs it.
While this is not the case in the United States. In the United States, the president is the supreme power. They can pass any law or order even without consultation. The American president is not only the head of the government but also the head of the country. But in India the head of the government is the Prime Minister.
If the American President wishes, he can stop any bill or proposal from Parliament by vetoing it. However, Parliament can also override that veto with a two-thirds majority.
Not only this, if a nuclear attack is to be carried out against any country, in India only the Prime Minister can order it. While, in the United States, the president has the right to order a nuclear attack.
Big salary difference too.
There is a huge difference between the salary of the American president and that of the Indian president. The President of India receives a salary of Rs 60 lakh per year. Apart from this, the president also receives many subsidies, including free medical services, telephone bills, housing and electricity.
The president receives a Mercedes-Benz S 600 Pullman Guard for his travels. The president has special guards, called presidential bodyguards. His number is 86.
Whereas the annual salary of the American President is 4 lakh dollars i.e. 3.36 crores. He receives a separate amount of $50,000 (Rs 42 lakh) a year for expenses. When the president enters the White House for the first time, he is given 1 lakh dollars (around Rs 84 lakh) to decorate the house according to his wish. Apart from this, the President of the United States receives $19,000 (around Rs 16 lakh) for entertainment and other expenses.
The US president’s security is provided by Secret Service agents. He travels on Air Force One. The American president travels only in his limousine. It has been baptized ‘The Beast’. This car has been prepared by the American company General Motors. It is considered the safest car in the world. This car is so safe that it is not affected even by a nuclear or chemical attack. This car has equipment such as a machine gun, tear gas system, fire extinguishing and night vision camera. If necessary, the enemy can also be attacked from the car.
