The 2019 race to decide who will be the President of the Republic of Wynnum 2019-2020 is officially now underway. In time honoured tradition the new President is chosen by a very simple mechanism – online auction to the highest bidder.
This is seen to be the fairest mechanism for filling the position, seeing as the new President has no legislative or executive powers. The position does however come with a range of benefits available during his/her term. These are…
- access to the (one and only) official flag of the Republic of Wynnum for official functions within the Republic (ie the territory previously designated the Brisbane suburbs of Wynnum and Wynnum West)
- the Official Seal of the President of the Republic to be used on correspondence as and when required
- an official Certificate to be placed in a prominent location confirming their position as President
- the official wooden nameplate of the President of the Republic (for positioning prominently on the Presidential desk)
- a Presidential diplomatic passport (at the present time the Republic does not advise relying on this passport for international travel or indeed any travel at all)
- elevation to the aristocracy at completion of term
- should any currency be issued, coins struck or postage stamps issued, the President will be entitled to have their image appear on any notes or coins, should they wish
Our current President, Martin Kristoffersen (pictured), assumed office as the winning bidder in the same process last year with a winning bid of AUD$295.
The only slight change to the process this year is that the bidding window is a little shorter and the process closes the day before Independence Day (which is this Tuesday 12th November) – bidding closes this Monday 11th November at 6pm (QLD time). Election costs have forced the minimum bid from $50 last year to $75 this year.
Unlike in other countries, there is no requirement for a presidential candidate to have been born in the Republic, in fact there is no requirement that a candidate even be a current citizen of the Republic (although they do become one by default once they assume office).
An Inauguration Ceremony for the new President is planned shortly after appointment. The lavishness of the ceremony will be closely correlated to the level of the winning bid.
Anyone wanting to put themselves forward in the 2019 Presidential race can bid on the Office of the President page.
I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen anything interesting from the “Center for Science in the Public Interest”.