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The head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the Head of government is often styled Premier, Prime minister etc.

This article focuses on the cases where the head of government is a separate office from the head of state.
In presidential systems or imperial systems, the Head of government may be the same person as the Head of state, who is often titled President (of the republic) or a Monarch. In semi-presidential systems, the Head of government may answer to both the Head of state and the legislative power (such as parliament). An example is the French Fifth Republic (1958-present), where the Président de la République appoints a Prime minister but must choose someone who can get government business through the National Assembly. When the opposition controls the National Assembly (and thus government funding and most legislation), the President is in effect forced to choose a Prime minister from among the opposition; in such cases, known as cohabitation, a government controls internal state policy, with the president restricted largely to foreign affairs, though of course forced to work with the government.

Types and titles of Heads of Government

The most common title for a Head of government is "Prime Minister." This is not only used as a formal title, but also as a generic term to describe the Head of government, who is formally the first amongst the executive "ministers" (Latin for servants, i.e. subordinates; many titles are in use) of an otherwise styled Head of state, who may be a political superior or whose precedence over the Prime Minister and ministers may be only theoretical or ceremonial in character. Various constitutions use different titles, and even the same title can have various political meanings depending on the constitution and political system of the state in question.

As political chief

In addition to Prime Minister, titles used for the modern model which also includes a legislative branch checking the chief executive include:
Alternate English terms & renderings

Equivalent titles in other languages
  • Bundeskanzler (German)
  • In federal Malaysia the heads of government of the constituent states are called in the Malay language either Ketua Menteri (literally Chief Minister) constitutionally of the Malaysian states without a monarchy; Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, or Menteri Besar (literally Great Minister) in the sultanates and other monarchic states.
  • Lehendakari
  • Pääministeri (Finnish)
  • Statsminister (Scandinavian)
  • Taoiseach (Irish)

Under a dominant head of state

In a broader sense, "Prime Minister" can be used loosely to refer to various comparable positions in which the Head of State is an absolute monarch. (This is especially the case in ancient or feudal eras, so the term "Prime Minister" in this case could be considered an anachronism.) In this case, the "Prime Minister" serves at the pleasure of the Monarch and holds no more power than the Monarch allows. In some cases a disgraced prime minister was even executed for his failure. Some such titles are:

Weak head of state

In some cases, the head of state is a figurehead whilst the head of the government is the head of the ruling party. In some cases a head of government may even pass on the title in hereditary fashion. Such titles include the following:

Heads of State as Head of Government

In some models the head of state and head of government are one and the same. These include:
  • Executive President
  • Absolutist Monarch reigning and ruling without a Prime minister (or nominating himself)
  • Chief Magistrate
  • Führer-model (but not always).
An alternative formula is a single chief political body (e.g. presidium) which collectively leads the government and provides (e.g. by turns) the ceremonial head of state See Head of State for further explanation of these cases.

Parliamentary heads of government

In parliamentary systems, government functions along the following lines:

  • The formation of a government answerable to parliament by a member (often the leader) of the party or parties;

  • Full answerability of that government to parliament through
    • The ability of parliament to pass a vote of no confidence.
    • The requirement that the government gain and hold supply.
    • Answerability for its actions to whichever representative legislative assembly controls 'supply'. In a bicameral system, this is often the so-called lower house, e.g. the British House of Commons; in some other, e.g. Australia and Italy, the government is constitutionally or by convention answerable to both chambers/Houses of Parliament.

All of these requirements directly impact the head of government's role. Consequently, the head of government often plays a 'day to day' role on the floor of the House, answering questions and defending the government on the 'floor of the House'. In contrast, heads of government in semi-presidential systems may not be required to play as much of a role in the functioning of parliament.

Appointment

In many countries, the head of government is commissioned to form a government by the head of state, on the basis of the strength of party support in the lower house. In some states, the head of government is directly elected by parliament. Many parliamentary systems require ministers to serve in parliament, while others ban ministers from sitting in parliament; they must resign on becoming ministers.

Removal

Heads of government are typically removed from power in a parliamentary system by
  • Resignation, following:
  • Dismissal — some constitutions allow a Head of state (or his designated representative, as is the case in Commonwealth countries) to dismiss a head of government, though its use can be controversial, as occurred in 1975 when then Australian Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in the Australian Constitutional Crisis.
  • Death — in this case, the deputy head of government typically acts as the head of government until a new head of government is appointed

First among equals or dominating the cabinet?

Constitutions differ in the range and scope of powers granted to the head of government. Some older constitutions (for example, Australia's 1900 text, and Belgium's 1830 text) do not mention the office of prime minister at all, the office becoming a de facto reality without formal constitutional status. Some constitutions make a prime minister primus inter pares (first among equals) and that remains the practical reality in places like Finland and Belgium. Other states however, make their prime minister a central and dominant figure within the cabinet system; Ireland's Taoiseach, for example, alone can decide when to seek a parliamentary dissolution, in contrast to other countries where this is a cabinet decision, with the Prime Minister just one member voting on the suggestion. Under the UK's constitution, the Prime Minister's role has evolved, based often on the individual's personal appeal and strength of character, as contrasted between, for example, Winston Churchill as against Clement Attlee, Margaret Thatcher as against John Major.

In a number of states the allegation has been made that the increased personalisation of leadership, a product in part of media coverage of politics that focuses on the leader and his or her mandate, rather than on parliament, and also on the increasing centralisation of power in the hands of the prime minister, has led to accusations of prime ministers becoming themselves "semi-presidential" figures. Such allegations have been made against two recent British prime ministers, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. It was made against then Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau and against the then Chancellor of West Germany, and later all of Germany, Helmut Kohl.

Official residence

The head of government is often provided with an official residence (listed in that article), just as with a Head of state (if he is both, that titles is associated with it); if (s)he has real political power, this often becomes proverbial as a metonym (alternating with the name of the capital) for 'the government'. Some well-known official residences of heads of government include:

Similarly the Heads of government of (con)federal entities below the level of the sovereign state (often without an actual Head of state, at least under international law) may also be given an official residence, sometimes used as an opportunity to display its aspirations of statehood, e.g.:

Still they are usually far less grand then the palace(s) -a term often also used for the housing of the legislature- of a Head of State, whether ceremonial or also Head of Government, such as :

Even the formal representative of the Head of State, such as a Governor-general, may well be housed in a grander palace-type residence, often with such names as Government House.

Sources and references

  • Jean Blondel & Ferdinand Muller-Rommel Cabinets in Western Europe (ISBN 0333462092)
  • WorldStatesmen click on each present country

See also

Executive ministers | Heads of state | Government institutions | Wikipedia articles needing copy edit

Regeringschef | Regierungschef | Jefe de gobierno | Chef de gouvernement | Regjeringssjef | Chefe de governo | Head of government | Regeringschef | 政府首脑

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Head of government".

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