Peaceful transfer of power

The orderly handover of government authority after an election or constitutional succession, in which outgoing leaders accept the lawful transition and incoming leaders assume office without violence.

Electoral certification: The official process that verifies election results and establishes which candidates have won. Certified results give outgoing and incoming officials an authoritative basis for the handover.
Democracy: A system of government in which political authority ultimately depends on the people, typically through elections. Power transfers through elections are a defining test of democratic government.
Coup d'état: A sudden, illegal seizure of government power, typically carried out by a faction within the state. A coup replaces lawful succession with coercive seizure.
United States presidential transition: The process by which a newly elected U.S. president prepares to assume office and receives authority from the outgoing administration. It illustrates a scheduled transfer supported by transition planning and a formal inauguration.
Democratic consolidation: The process by which democratic institutions become stable and broadly accepted as the legitimate framework for political competition. Repeated peaceful handovers can make democratic rules more durable than any single leader.
Inauguration: A formal ceremony marking a person's assumption of public office. It publicly marks the point when elected leadership takes office.
Rule of law: The principle that public authority is constrained by publicly known laws applied through established institutions. It requires outgoing and incoming officials alike to follow the rules governing succession.
Self-coup: An incumbent leader's illegal suspension of constitutional limits or institutions to retain or expand power. It blocks a transfer by an officeholder who refuses to leave or accept constraints.
George Washington's resignation as commander-in-chief: George Washington's 1783 return of his military commission to Congress after the American Revolutionary War. His return of military authority became an early example of subordinating personal power to civilian government.
Executive power: The authority to implement laws and direct the administration of government. A transfer changes who exercises executive authority while the state continues to function.

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