Selecting an International President
Each year, a distinguished Rotarian is selected as the worldwide president of Rotary International. The process begins one year in advance when a 17-person nominating committee is elected from separate zones of the world. To qualify for the nominating committee, a Rotarian must have served on the RI Board of Directors. If no past director from the zone is able to serve, a past trustee of The Rotary Foundation or a past district governor who has served on a RI committee may be appointed to the nominating committee.
The nominating committee may consider all past RI directors for candidacy. Members of the nominating committee and current directors are not eligible. Any Rotary club may suggest the name of a former RI director to the committee for consideration.
The committee convenes in September to select the Rotarian to be the presidential nominee, whose name is announced to all clubs. Any Rotary club may make an additional nomination before Dec. 1, which must then be endorsed by 1 % of all the Rotary clubs of the world . If such an event occurs, an election is held by mail ballot. If no additional nomination is presented by the clubs, the person selected by the nominating committee is declared the president-nominee.
At the international convention, the president-nominee is elected by voice vote and becomes the president-elect for the following year, which is spent preparing to serve the Rotarians of the world as the international president.