More than halfway done

It is such a shockingly short campaign to an American, our last presidential campaign lasted 18 months. Why could a country that fashions itself in the top 5 on Earth take only a month to make a decision on their leader. A country that seems to enjoy politics so much more than my own seems to dispatch with their process so quickly. I believe fixed elections would change this, people would know when the election is and be prepared from a much earlier stage to fight it. It is also so medieval that the leader can decide when he wants to face an election. But maybe if I truly was a part of your system the whole process would make sense, but I doubt it.