Outgoing president

Outgoing president

An outgoing president is a president or, generally, other head of state or government when he holds office between the election of his successor and the inauguration by which that successor assumes power.

In many countries, toward the facilitation of a smooth transition, a president accepts advice from and consults with the president-elect. The term lame duck is often ascribed to an outgoing president in view of his relative impotence and impending exit from office, especially where his political party has lost control of a legislative or executive branch.