lame duck
A term referring to one who remains in office past their sell-by date of power. They have lost both the electorate's mandate and new support, and simply dangle until the next officeholder assumes the seat. Though legally still in position, they are stripped of practical influence, becoming an empty vessel teetering on vacancy. When they catch the media spotlight, they unwittingly flaunt their impotence; when they attempt to wield influence, they are suddenly branded as "outdated relics." Awaiting the handover of power, they drift between wry smiles and snide laughter as the political corpse adrift on the horizon.