Other Definitions
prime minister (dict)

Prime Minister

Alternative meaning: Prime Minister (band)
  1. A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively
  2. A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or semi-presidential system whose duty is to execute the directives of the President and manage the civil service.
In a parliamentary system, such as the Westminster System, the Prime Minister is the head of the government while the head of state is largely a ceremonial position. In some monarchies the prime minister exercises powers (known as the Royal Prerogative) that are constitutionally vested in the monarch and which can be exercised without the approval of parliament. As well as being Head of Government, a prime minister may have other roles or titles—the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, for example, is also First Lord of the Treasury. Prime ministers may take other ministerial posts—for example during the Second World War Winston Churchill was also Minister of Defence.

Prime Ministers in both Republics & Monarchies

Prime Ministers can be found in both constitutional monarchies (as is the case in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Norway and Japan), and in republics, where the head of state is an elected or unelected official with varying degrees of real power. This contrasts with a presidential system, where the President (or equivalent) is both the head of state and the head of the government. See also "First Minister", "Premier" which are distinct from "prime minister." In some presidential or semi-presidential systems such as France, Russia, South Korea or Taiwan the prime minister is an official generally appointed by the President but approved by the legislature and responsible for carrying out the directives of the President and managing the civil service. In these systems, it is possible for the president and the prime minister to be from different political parties if the legislature is controlled by a party different from that of the president. This is a situation which is known as cohabitation.

Method of Entry into Office

In parliamentary systems a prime minister can enter into office by a number of means.
  • by appointment by the head of state without the need for confirmation by parliament; Example: The United Kingdom, where the monarch appoints a prime minister without the need for confirmation from parliament, which gets its first chance to indicate its view on the new government in the vote on the Speech from the Throne, in which the new government outlines its legislative programme. The method of prime ministerial appointment by the British sovereign is known as to Kiss Hands.
  • appointment by the head of state after parliament nominates a candidate; Example: The Republic of Ireland where the President of Ireland appoints the Taoiseach on the nomination of the Dil ireann.)
  • appointment by the head of state after the majority parliamentary party nominates a candidate; Example: the Australian federal government, India, and New Zealand.
  • the head of state nominates a candidate for prime minister who is then submitted to parliament for approval before appointment as prime minister; Example: Spain, where the King sends a nomination to parliament for approval. Also Germany where under the Basic Law (constitution) the Bundestag votes on a candidate nominated by the Federal President. In these cases, parliament can choose another candidate who then would be appointed by the head of state.)
  • the head of state appoints a prime minister who has a set timescale within which s/he must gain a vote of confidence; (Example: Italy.)
  • direct election by parliament (the premiers of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut);
  • direct election by the public (Example: Israel, 1996-2001.);
  • appointment by a state office holder other than the head of state or his/her representative; Example: Under the modern Instrument of Government 1974, which came into force in 1975, the power of commissioning someone to form a government was moved from the King of Sweden to the Speaker of Parliament, who, once it has been approved, formally makes the appointment.
Though most prime ministers are 'appointed', they are generally if inaccurately described as 'elected'.

Prime Ministers in Constitutions

The position, power and status of prime ministers differ depending on the age of the constitution in individuals. Britain's constitution, being uncodified and largely unwritten, makes no mention of a prime minister. Though it had de facto existed for centuries, its first official mention in official state documents did not occur until the first decade of the twentieth century. Australia's Constitution makes no mention of a prime minister of Australia. The office has a de facto existence at the head of the Executive Council. Ireland's constitution, Bunreacht na hireann (1937) provided for the office of taoiseach in detail, listing powers, functions and duties. Germany's Basic Law (1949) lists the powers, functions and duties of the federal Chancellor.

Exit from Office

Contrary to popular and journalistic myth, most prime ministers in parliamentary systems are not appointed for a specific term of office and in effect may remain in power through a number of elections and parliaments. For example, Margaret Thatcher was only ever appointed prime minister on one occasion, in 1979. She remained continually in power until 1990, though she used the assembly of each House of Commons after a general election to reshuffle her cabinet. Some states, however, do have a term of office of the prime minister linked to the period in office on the parliament. Hence the Irish Taoiseach is formally 'renominated' after every general election. (Some constitutional experts have questioned whether this process is actually in keeping with the provisions of the Irish constitution, which appear to suggest a taoiseach should remain in office, without the requirement of a renomination, unless s/he has clearly lost the general election.) In parliamentary systems, governments are generally required to have the confidence of the lower house of parliament (though a small minority of parliaments, by giving a right to block Supply to upper houses, in effect make the cabinet responsible to both houses, though in reality upper houses, even when they have the power, rarely exercise it). Where they lose a vote of confidence, have a motion of no confidence passed against them, or where they lose Supply, most constitutional systems require either: a) a resignation or b) a request of a parliamentary dissolution. The latter in effect allows the government to appeal the opposition of parliament to the electorate. However in many jurisdictions a head of state may refuse a parliamentary dissolution, requiring the resignation of the prime minister and his or her government. In most modern parliamentary systems, the Prime Minister is the person who decides when to request a parliamentary dissolution. Older constitutions often vest this power in the cabinet. (In Britain, for example, the tradition whereby it is the prime minister who requests a dissolution of parliament dates back to 1918. Prior to then, it was the entire government that made the request. Similarly, though the modern 1937 Irish constitution grants to the Taoiseach the right to make the request, the earlier 1922 Irish Free State Constitution vested the power in the Executive Council (the then name for the Irish cabinet).

Title of Prime Minister

A number of different terms are used to describe prime ministers. The German prime minister is actually titled "Federal Chancellor" while the Irish Prime Minister is called the Taoiseach. In many cases, though commonly used, "prime minister" is not the official title of the office-holder; the British prime minister is (usually) "First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service", and the Spanish prime minister is the "President of the Government" (Presidente del Gobierno). Other common forms include president (or chairman) of the Council of Ministers (for example in Italy, as Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), or of the Executive Council (&c.), or "Minister-President".

Articles on prime ministers

Lists of prime ministers

The following table groups the list of past and present prime ministers and details information available in those lists.
lign=center|Country align=center| List starts  align=center| Table shows 
 parties? 		 align=center| Term given by 
 years or dates? 		 align=center|Present Incumbent
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Afghanistan" title="Prime Minister of Afghanistan">Afghanistan 1953 - years None
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Albania" title="List of Prime Ministers of Albania">Albania 1914 - years Fatos Nano
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Algeria" title="Prime Minister of Algeria">Algeria 1962 yes years Ahmed Ouyahia
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Angola" title="Prime Minister of Angola">Angola 1975 - dates Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Antigua-and-Barbuda" title="List of Prime Ministers of Antigua and Barbuda">Antigua and Barbuda 1981 - years Baldwin Spencer
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Armenia" title="Prime Minister of Armenia">Armenia 1918 yes dates Andranik Markaryan
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Australia" title="Prime Minister of Australia">Australia 1901 yes dates John Howard
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-the-Bahamas" title="List of Prime Ministers of the Bahamas">Bahamas 1967 - dates Perry Christie
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Bangladesh" title="Prime Minister of Bangladesh">Bangladesh 1971 yes dates Khaleda Zia
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Barbados" title="List of Prime Ministers of Barbados">Barbados 1954 - years Owen Arthur
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Belgium" title="List of Prime Ministers of Belgium">Belgium 1918 - dates Guy Verhofstadt
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Belize" title="Prime Minister of Belize">Belize 1973 yes years Said Musa
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Bulgaria" title="List of Prime Ministers of Bulgaria">Bulgaria 1879 - dates Simeon Sakskoburggotski
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Burkina-Faso" title="Prime Minister of Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso 1971 - dates Paramanga Ernest Yonli
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Cameroon" title="Prime Minister of Cameroon">Cameroon 1960 - dates Peter Mafany Musonge
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Canadian-Prime-Ministers" title="List of Canadian Prime Ministers">Canada 1867 yes dates Paul Martin
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Cape-Verde" title="Prime Minister of Cape Verde">Cape Verde 1975 - dates Jos Maria Neves
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-the-Central-African-Republic" title="Prime Minister of the Central African Republic">Central African Republic 1958 - dates Clestin Gaombalet
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Chad" title="Prime Minister of Chad">Chad 1978 - dates Pascal Yoadimnadji
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Premiers-of-China" title="List of Premiers of China">China, People's Republic of 1911 - dates Wen Jiabao
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-the-Cook-Islands" title="Prime Minister of the Cook Islands">Cook Islands 1965 yes dates Jim Marurai
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-ministers-of-Croatia" title="Prime ministers of Croatia">Croatia 1990 - dates Ivo Sanader
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-the-Czech-Republic" title="List of Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic">Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia 1969 - years Stanislav Gross
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Denmark" title="List of Prime Ministers of Denmark">Denmark 1848 - years Anders Fogh Rasmussen
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Djibouti" title="List of Prime Ministers of Djibouti">Djibouti 1977 - dates Dileita Mohamed Dileita
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Dominica" title="List of Prime Ministers of Dominica">Dominica 1960 - dates Roosevelt Skerrit
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Egypt" title="Prime Minister of Egypt">Egypt 1878 - years Ahmed Nazif
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Equatorial-Guinea" title="List of Prime Ministers of Equatorial Guinea">Equatorial Guinea 1963 - dates Miguel Abia Biteo Borico
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Fiji" title="List of Prime Ministers of Fiji">Fiji 1966 - dates Laisenia Qarase
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Finland" title="Prime Minister of Finland">Finland 1917 yes years Matti Vanhanen
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-France" title="List of Prime Ministers of France">France 1815 - years Jean-Pierre Raffarin
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Georgia" title="Prime Minister of Georgia">Georgia 1918 yes dates Giorgi Baramidze
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Greece" title="List of Prime Ministers of Greece">Greece 1833 - dates Kostas Karamanlis
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Greenland" title="List of Prime Ministers of Greenland">Greenland 1979 - years Hans Enoksen
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Grenada" title="List of Prime Ministers of Grenada">Grenada 1954 - years Keith Mitchell
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Guinea" title="Prime Minister of Guinea">Guinea 1972 - dates Franois Lonseny Fall
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Guyana" title="List of Prime Ministers of Guyana">Guyana 1953 - dates Sam Hinds
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Hungary" title="List of Prime Ministers of Hungary">Hungary 1848 - dates Ferenc Gyurcsny
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Iceland" title="List of Prime Ministers of Iceland">Iceland 1904 - dates Halldr sgrmsson
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-India" title="Prime Minister of India">India 1947 yes dates Manmohan Singh
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Iraq" title="List of Prime Ministers of Iraq">Iraq 1920 - years Iyad Allawi
a href="/encyclopedia/Taoiseach" title="Taoiseach">Ireland 1937 yes years Bertie Ahern
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Israel" title="Prime Minister of Israel">Israel 1948 - years Ariel Sharon
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Italy" title="List of Prime Ministers of Italy">Italy 1861 - years Silvio Berlusconi
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Jamaica" title="Prime Minister of Jamaica">Jamaica 1959 - years Percival Patterson
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Japan" title="Prime Minister of Japan">Japan 1885 - years Junichiro Koizumi
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Latvia" title="Prime Minister of Latvia">Latvia 1990 yes dates Indulis Emsis
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Lebanon" title="List of Prime Ministers of Lebanon">Lebanon 1926 - dates Rafiq Hariri
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Lithuania" title="Prime Minister of Lithuania">Lithuania 1990 yes dates Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Luxembourg" title="List of Prime Ministers of Luxembourg">Luxembourg 1959 - years Jean-Claude Juncker
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Malaysia" title="Prime Minister of Malaysia">Malaysia 1957 yes years Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Malta" title="Prime Minister of Malta">Malta 1921 yes years Lawrence Gonzi
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Mongolia" title="Prime Minister of Mongolia">Mongolia 1912 yes dates Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Myanmar" title="Prime Minister of Myanmar">Myanmar (Burma) 1948 yes dates Soe Win
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Nepal" title="List of Prime Ministers of Nepal">Nepal 1953 - dates Sher Bahadur Deuba
a href="/encyclopedia/Politics-of-the-Netherlands" title="Politics of the Netherlands">Netherlands 1945 yes dates Jan Peter Balkenende
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-New-Zealand" title="Prime Minister of New Zealand">New Zealand 1856 yes dates Helen Clark
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-North-Korea" title="List of Prime Ministers of North Korea">North Korea 1948 n/a years Pak Pong-ju
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Norwegian-Prime-Ministers" title="List of Norwegian Prime Ministers">Norway 1814 - years Kjell Magne Bondevik
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Pakistan" title="List of Prime Ministers of Pakistan">Pakistan 1947 - dates Shaukat Aziz
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Palestine" title="List of Prime Ministers of Palestine">Palestine 2003 - unknown Mahmoud Abbas
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Papua-New-Guinea" title="List of Prime Ministers of Papua New Guinea">Papua New Guinea 1975 - years Michael Somare
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Polish-Prime-Ministers" title="List of Polish Prime Ministers">Poland 1917 - dates Marek Belka
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Portugal" title="List of Prime Ministers of Portugal">Portugal 1834 yes dates Pedro Santana Lopes
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Romania" title="List of Prime Ministers of Romania">Romania 1862 - years Adrian Năstase
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Russia" title="Prime Minister of Russia">Russia 1991 yes dates Mikhail Fradkov
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis" title="List of Prime Ministers of Saint Kitts and Nevis">Saint Kitts and Nevis 1960 - dates Denzil Douglas
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Saint-Lucia" title="List of Prime Ministers of Saint Lucia">Saint Lucia 1960 - dates Kenny Anthony
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Saint-Vincent-and-the-Grenadines" title="List of Prime Ministers of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines">Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1956 - dates Ralph Gonsalves
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-So-Tom-and-Principe" title="Prime Minister of So Tom and Principe">So Tom and Principe 1974 yes dates Damiao Vaz d'Almeida
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Serbia" title="Prime Minister of Serbia">Serbia 1805 - years Vojislav Kostunica
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Singapore" title="Prime Minister of Singapore">Singapore 1965 - dates Lee Hsien Loong
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Slovakia" title="List of Prime Ministers of Slovakia">Slovakia 1918 - dates Mikulš Dzurinda
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Slovenia" title="Prime Minister of Slovenia">Slovenia 1990 yes years Janez Jansa
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-South-Africa" title="List of Prime Ministers of South Africa">South Africa 1910 - dates (Post Abolished)
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Spain" title="List of Prime Ministers of Spain">Spain 1902 yes years Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Sri-Lankan-Prime-Ministers" title="List of Sri Lankan Prime Ministers">Sri Lanka 1948 - dates Mahinda Rajapakse
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Sweden" title="Prime Minister of Sweden">Sweden 1876 yes years Gran Persson
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Thailand" title="List of Prime Ministers of Thailand">Thailand 1932 - years Thaksin Shinawatra
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Trinidad-and-Tobago" title="List of Prime Ministers of Trinidad and Tobago">Trinidad and Tobago 1956 - dates Patrick Manning
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-Turkey" title="List of Prime Ministers of Turkey">Turkey 1920 yes dates Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Tuvalu" title="Prime Minister of Tuvalu">Tuvalu 1975 n/a dates Saufatu Sopoanga
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Ukraine" title="Prime Minister of Ukraine">Ukraine 1990 - dates Yuliya Tymoshenko
a href="/encyclopedia/List-of-Prime-Ministers-of-the-United-Arab-Emirates" title="List of Prime Ministers of the United Arab Emirates">United Arab Emirates 1971 - years Maktoum Bin Rashid al-Maktoum
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-the-United-Kingdom" title="Prime Minister of the United Kingdom">United Kingdom 1721 yes dates Tony Blair
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Uzbekistan" title="Prime Minister of Uzbekistan">Uzbekistan 1995 - dates Shavkat Mirziyayev
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Vanuatu" title="Prime Minister of Vanuatu">Vanuatu 1980 yes dates Serge Vohor
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Vietnam" title="Prime Minister of Vietnam">Vietnam 1976 yes dates Phan Van Khai
a href="/encyclopedia/Prime-Minister-of-Yemen" title="Prime Minister of Yemen">Yemen 1990 yes years Abdul Qadir Bajamal

See also

External links

Prime Minister

 

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