US election 2020: Can Barack Obama be elected as Joe Biden's Vice President?
Barack Obama and Joe Biden
The US elections are just a few days away and the US PresidentDonald Trumpandhis Democratic rival and former Vice PresidentJoe Bidenare gearing up for the last Presidential debate of the election year.
During the past few months, several political figures, Hollywood celebrities and other known faces have come out to support their choice of candidate. One such power couple who has openly supported the Republican candidate is the Obamas.
Biden'sformer boss and the US' former President, Barack Obama (along with his wife Michelle Obama) has supportedBidenfor the nextPresidentof the United States.
While his supporters have appreciated the support, one question that has come up time and again during the past few months is whetherBidencould have reversed the roles and chosenObamaas his running mate now.
Many believe thatObamahas the support and love of the masses, and can help turn thatstrength and momentum into a winning ticket forBiden 2020 campaign.However,isBarack Obamalegally allowed to contest elections for the White House again?
The answer to this lies in the 22ndamendment of the US constitution. As per this amendment,"no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice".
So, according to this,Obamacannot be elected for the White House again. The loophole in this amendment, however, is that unlike the old times, a Vice President is not 'elected' by the masses now. A Vice President, now usually referred to as the 'running mate', is picked by the President-elect and is on the same ticket as the Presidential candidate — an example of this is that ifJoe Bidenwins the elections this year, Kamala Harriswill be sworn in as the Vice President, andBidenwill not be given a choice to change his running mate unless there is some unexpected emergency situation.
As per this logic,Barack Obamacould have been assigned (or can in the future) the roleof Vice President, as technically he would not be "elected".
However, this logic falls short of use when clubbed with the 12th amendment of the US constitution that states that"no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of the Vice President of the United States."
According to this amendment, Obamacannot take charge of the Vice President's office as he is now ineligible for the post of thePresidentof the United States.
So, while a lot of Americans would love to seeBarack Obamaback in the White House, he is legally not allowed to take control of the office again.
The fight this year will be betweenDonald Trump-Mike PenceandJoe Biden-Kamala Harris.With the next presidential debate soon and the elections scheduled for November 03, the world will soon get to know who comes out as the winner this time.