Captains Regent

The establishment of the regency took place during the first half of the thirteenth century, when they had the role of managing justice, a task similar to the competence of magistrates. During that period they were called consuls, which derived from ancient Rome. The first two known consuls were elected on 12 December 1243 by the Grand and General Council with a six-month term which is still used today. At the end of the thirteenth century, the name of the institution started to change, as one took the title of "captain" and the other one of "defender", then in 1317 they became captain and rector. On 1 April 2017, for the first time two women, Vanessa D'Ambrosio and Mimma Zavoli, occupied the posts of Captains Regent, until their term ended on 1 October 2017. Since 1 April 1984, after electing its second female Captain Regent, San Marino is the country that has had the most female heads of state in the world. As of April 2026, there have been 22 female Captains Regent since 1981 which have had a governing time of 13 years in total. == Election ==

Captains Regent are elected every six months by the Grand and General Council, they usually belong to opposite parties to grant an amount of balance and an equal supervision. The electoral procedure is prescribed by a 1945 law, == Power ==

The Regency is considered the supreme office of the Republic. The Captains Regent are the heads of state, a function which they carry out as a single body, with a reciprocal right of veto. They have the right to be addressed with the honorific title of Excellency. The Captains Regent are impartial and their power is mainly symbolic, as their main duty is to represent the country and to guarantee the constitutional order. They supervise the Grand and General Council, the Congress of State and the Council of XII, but without any right to vote or to decide. They have power to dissolve the parliament, which they do when the legislature is over or when it is unable to form a stable government. The Captains Regent also have the power to promulgate and order the publication of the laws approved by the Grand and General Council. == Regency Syndicate ==

The Captains Regent cannot be prosecuted in any way during their mandate, at the end of which they are subject to the Regency Syndicate. This judgement, established by the Statutes of 1499, is now fulfilled by the Guarantors' Panel on the Constitutionality of Rules, following the revision of the Declaration on the Citizens' Rights. The procedure provides that, within fifteen days after the conclusion of their mandate, every citizen registered in the electoral lists may submit claims against the Captains Regent "for what they have and have not done" during their mandate. ==See also==