thumb|[[Tancredo Neves was one of the two presidents-elect of Brazil who died before taking office.]]
-elect is a suffix which describes the position of a person who has been elected but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as the president-elect (e.g. president-elect of the United States). Analogously, the term -designate (e.g. prime minister-designate) is used for the same purpose, especially when someone is appointed rather than elected (e.g., justice-designate).
History
This usage of the term -elect originated in the Catholic Church, where bishops were elected but would not take office until ordained. In addition, the winner of a papal election would be known as the pope-elect until he was confirmed and became pope. The term entered politics with the practice of elective monarchy. For example, the Holy Roman emperor was elected by a college of prince-electors, but the winning candidate would not become emperor until he was crowned by the pope. Between election and coronation, he was known as the imperator electus, or emperor-elect. By the 19th century, the term had expanded to describe any position in which a substantial period elapses between election and installation. For example, it was common in the 19th century to refer to a fiancée as a bride-elect.
Official positions in organizations
The bylaws of some clubs and other organizations may define an official position of president-elect similar to a vice president position. The members of the organization elect the president-elect, rather than directly electing the organization's president. The president-elect may be given limited duties, similar to a vice president. At the end of the term, the president-elect is promoted to the position of president, and a new president-elect is elected. The advantage of this schema is a clear continuity of succession, as well as the opportunity to familiarize the president-elect with the operations of the organization before becoming president. A possible drawback is that once a president-elect has been elected, another person cannot be elected president unless the president-elect resigns or is removed from office.