Term of office

Term of office

A term of office is the length of time a person serves in an elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a defined limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subject to re-election. Some jurisdictions exercise term limits, setting a maximum number of terms an individual may hold in a particular office.

About Term of office in brief

Summary Term of officeA term of office is the length of time a person serves in an elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a defined limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subject to re-election. Some jurisdictions exercise term limits, setting a maximum number of terms an individual may hold in a particular office. Being the origin of the Westminster system, aspects of the United Kingdom’s system of government are replicated in many other countries. The monarch serves as head of state until his or her death or abdication. Members of Parliament in the House of Commons are elected for the duration of the parliament. The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are variations on the system ofgovernment used at Westminster. In the United States, the president of the U.S. is elected indirectly through the United states Electoral College to a four-year term. The term for state governors is four years in all states but Vermont and New Hampshire; the Vermont governors serve two years. As a former British territory following the Westminster System, there are many similarities with the Commonwealth of States, with some variations based on local customs, the federal monarch and the absentee monarch.

The United States shares a monarch with all 14 other countries of the Commonwealth, who serve as state heads of state. The U.K. is the only country that does not have a monarch who serves as state head of the state, with the monarch serving as state president or prime minister in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland. The British Parliament is elected for a fixed term of five years, with a maximum term of four years. In Scotland and Wales there are fixed terms for which the legislatures can sit, but in the case of the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government there is no term limit. Federal judges have different terms in office indeed. The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces serves for 15 years, according to the provisions of the federal judiciary, Article III of the US Constitution. The majority of state constitutions varies according to state law, with terms for state officials in New Hampshire and Vermont four years, New Hampshire four years and Vermont and Vermont two years, respectively. The House of Lords is made up of hereditary peers and life peers, though members can resign or be expelled. A senior bishop may be made a life peer upon the end of their time as bishops.