Interim vs Acting
Interim and acting are two terms that are often confused due to the appearing similarity between them. They are indeed different in more than one sense. The word ‘interim’ gives the meaning of ‘in between’ and the word ‘acting’ gives the meaning of ‘substituting’ somebody.
It is important to know that both the words should be used with precision at the right places. The word ‘interim’ should be used while indicating a ‘stop-gap’ occupation or profession as in the expression ‘the interim president’. From this expression we get the idea that the interim president is meant to take care of the duties attached to him during the period in between the retirement or the death of the previous president and the appointment of the new president. This is the actual meaning of the word ‘interim’.
It is interesting to note that the word ‘interim’ is used as an adjective. The word ‘acting’ is also used as an adjective. In fact it is used while indicating a ‘stop-gap’ occupation or profession as a momentary replacement or substitution during someone’s absence as in the expression ‘the acting president’. From this expression we get the idea that the acting president is meant to take care of the duties attached to him during the period of the absence of the actual president due to health reasons or any other reason. This is the most important difference between the two terms ‘acting’ and ‘interim’.
The interim president is considered the president with full powers until a person is elected to the post. The acting president is not given all the powers of the actual president. This is another important difference between the two terms. The acting president has to vacate the premises once the actual president returns back. On the other hand the interim president steps down only after a new person is appointed in the said post.
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