The president and the deputy president

24. The persons elected in 1978 to the offices of President and Deputy President shall hold office until the Annual General Meeting in the year 1980 at which they shall retire from office.

The people who held office as President and Deputy President in 1978 had to retire from their posts before the 1980 AGM.

25. The President and the Deputy President shall each hold office from the termination of the Annual General Meeting at which they take up office to the termination of the Annual General Meeting next but one thereafter. They shall each be eligible for re-election for one further period of two years but no person who has served either office for two periods of office shall be eligible to stand for election to that office thereafter. In the case of the death or resignation of the President or Deputy President whilst in office, the Council shall elect some other person to be President or Deputy President as the case may be for the remainder of the term of office.

The term of office for a President and a Deputy President is two years. They assume their post at the end of the AGM in which they were elected, and quit it before the end of AGM two years later. Presidents and Deputy Presidents can stand for re-election and serve one more term. Presidents and Deputy Presidents who have served two terms are not eligible for re-election to the post in which they have served. If a serving President or Deputy President dies or resigns, the Council must elect a replacement for the remainder of the term of office.

26. The President and Deputy President shall be elected by the Members of the College from among Members who have been Members (but not Student or Associate Members) of the College for such period as the Council may from time to time determine nominated by such national forums and local branches of the College, and such number of such bodies as the Council may from time to time decide. Six months in advance of the Annual General Meeting at which the new or re-elected President and Deputy President shall take up office the Council shall appoint a Returning Officer who shall not be a Member of the College to be responsible for and to make such regulations as are necessary for the proper conduct of the elections to these offices. The elections to the office of President and Deputy President shall be separate but concurrent. The Council shall determine the dates by which nomination and voting papers are to be received. The nomination papers shall be signed by the person nominated and shall incorporate a declaration of his or her ability, if elected, to fulfil the commitments of the President or Deputy President as the case may be; they shall also be signed by two elected officers (officials) of the national forum or Branch making the nomination. No person may be nominated for both offices in the same elections. The Council shall procure that there be sent to every Member before the date of the Annual General Meeting at which the new or re-elected President and Deputy President shall take up office, voting papers in such form as the Council shall determine setting out the names of the candidates. Every Member of the College shall be entitled to cast one vote in each election.

To be eligible to be nominated as a candidate for President or Vice President, a candidate must first have been a member of the RCN (though not a student or associate member) for a length of time determined by the Council. The candidate must be nominated by national forums, local RCN branches and other bodies decided by the Council.
Six months in advance of the AGM at which the President and Deputy President are to take up office, the Council must appoint a returning officer. The returning officer cannot be a member of the RCN. He or she is responsible for running the election process.
The elections for the posts of President and Deputy President are to be held at the same time, but separately. The Council must decide the dates by which nomination and voting papers should be received. The nomination papers must be signed by the person nominated, and must contain a statement of their ability to perform the role. The papers must also be signed by two elected officers or officials of the national forum or branch making the nomination.
It is not possible to be nominated to stand for both posts in the same elections.
The Council must ensure that all members receive their voting papers in good time before the AGM. Voting papers must be clearly marked with the names of all candidates. Every member of the RCN is entitled to one vote in each election.