Spoilers Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1x02 – “Beta Test”

[Nerys Myk]

No, the problem is that he/she hasn't. As The Wormhole alludes, Star Trek has been treating Starfleet and the Federation government interchangeably when it suited the writers at least as far back as TNG. The Council and/or president is invoked on occasions they think it's dramatically useful.

And the actor is available.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Where is the Federation president? Why is a Starfleet Admiral making enormous decisions without the council or any elected personnel? This is just straight up baffling. I can hand wave a lot, but the president has already been heavily featured.

Rillik or possibly her successor as there has probably been an election by now and we don't know if she won or even stood for re-election is probably pretty busy on Betazed at the minute setting up the new HQ and can't leave in order to deal with the Klingon refugees.

There's also any number of reasons that the president couldn't make it back to Earth to have attended the meeting with the Betazoids, it's not exactly a time of political stability.

And since the president prior to Rillik gave Vance authority to act as a representitive of the Federation when dealing with the Chain that authority has probably just been kept that as an accomplished diplomat and leader he is qualified to step in and speak on behalf.

He is probably in communication with the council and president off screen to get approval for various things.