I'm Puzzled
 

Why is it that a newly elected president does not take power immediatley, but instead the old guy stays in office for a few more weeks doing as much damage as he can? This in a country where almost every other employee who is fired or resigns is immediately given a box to pack, watched while they pack it, then escorted to the door?

It's pretty much the opposite in the UK. If you resign you are usually required to work out your notice (although this is changing), but the Prime Minister takes power immediately.

:confused:

Gives the new guy time to pick his cabinet, etc.
(And time for the Clinton administration to remove the "W"s from the keyboards...)

True. I've always worked my notice - I skipped out of the NHS slightly early because I had accrued annual leave and I was due to finish over Easter (2 Bank Holidays, lovely!) But even then I had 2 weeks after resigning of mooning about and dreaming and not doing much. Which I was paid for.

Because That's The Way We've Always Done it(tm).

It takes time for the courts to choose a new President.

By the time the votes were gathered & verified, the college electors notified and travel to gather & vote, all on horseback, it was time to shut down for Christmas and New Years. Then the elected needs time to choose his gang, get them to Washington, and settled in, again by horsepower. The pattern was set.

That's now the lawsuit period.

There's always a gap between when our new guy gets elected and when he takes office for much the same reasons as the US. Paliament gets shut down till the new guy gets sworn in though, so basically, the country here is in limbo for a month or so till the new gov takes over.

It's important to note that it used to be longer, about four months. When FDR was elected, the Great Depression was gearing up, and he and the old administration were completely unable to cooperate in creating relief programs and whatnot--which meant he was legally powerless, not being the President yet, but the old President was symbolically and publically pretty powerless as well, and nothing got done while the economy tanked farther. Because of this, they pushed future elections back to just 2 1/2 months before the turnover.