President of the Victorian Legislative Council
The President of the Victorian Legislative Council, also known as the presiding officer of the council, is the presiding officer of the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of Victoria and equivalent to the President of the Australian Senate. When there is a vacancy in the office of president, a new president is elected by the members of the council from among its number. The president ceases to hold that office if they cease to be a member of the council, and can be removed at any time by a vote of the members. The current president is Nazih Elasmar.
The role of the President
The president is always a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, and is the ceremonial head of that council. The president performs ceremonial duties, and represents the council to other organisations. In conjunction with the Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, the president is responsible for the administration of the Victorian Parliament. When the council is sitting, the president enforces procedures and assists the smooth running of council meetings. The president is assisted in their duties by a deputy president.Choosing the president
The president of the Legislative Council is an elected position. When a new president is required, any member of the Legislative Council may propose, during a council sitting, any other present member for the position of president. If more than one member is proposed and seconded, all members must agree to one particular candidate. After election, the president presents his or herself as the choice of the council to be their president.List of Presidents of the Legislative Council
| President | Party | Term in office |
| Sir James Frederick Palmer | 21 November 1856 – September 1870 | |
| Sir William Mitchell | 27 October 1870 – 24 November 1884 | |
| Sir James MacBain | 27 November 1884 – 8 November 1892 | |
| Sir William Zeal | 10 November 1892 – May 1901 | |
| Sir Henry John Wrixon | 18 June 1901 – 28 June 1910 | |
| Sir John Mark Davies | 6 July 1910 – June 1919 | |
| Sir Walter Manifold | Nationalist Party of Australia | 8 July 1919 – 28 August 1923 |
| Sir Frank Clarke | Nationalist, UAP, Liberal | 29 August 1923 – June 1943 |
| Sir Clifden Eager | Nationalist, Liberal, Lib. & Country | 29 June 1943 – June 1958 |
| Sir Gordon McArthur | Lib. & Country, Liberal | 8 July 1958 – 10 August 1965 |
| Sir Ronald Mack | Liberal | 14 September 1965 – 12 February 1968 |
| Sir Raymond Garrett | Liberal | 20 February 1968 – June 1976 |
| William Fry | Liberal | 29 June 1976 – July 1979 |
| Fred Grimwade | Liberal | 18 July 1979 – 15 July 1985 |
| Rod Mackenzie | Labor | 16 July 1985 – 24 October 1988 |
| Alan Hunt | Liberal | 25 October 1988 – 26 October 1992 |
| Bruce Chamberlain | Liberal | 27 October 1992 – 24 February 2003 |
| Monica Gould | Labor | 25 February 2003 – 18 December 2006 |
| Bob Smith | Labor | 19 December 2006 – 20 December 2010 |
| Bruce Atkinson | Liberal | 21 December 2010 – 19 December 2018 |
| Shaun Leane | Labor | 19 December 2018 – 18 June 2020 |
| Nazih Elasmar | Labor | 18 June 2020 |