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A Prime Minister is the most senior minister of a Cabinet in the Executive branch of Government in a Parliamentary System . They are usually, but need not always be, a Politician . In many systems the Prime Minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the Government. In most systems they are the presiding member and Chairperson of the cabinet. In a minority of systems, notably in Semi-presidential System of government, a prime minister is the official who is appointed to manage the Civil Service and execute the directives of the President . In parliamentary systems like the Westminster System , the prime minister is the presiding Head Of The Government while the position of Head Of State (the King, Queen or President), who may officially be the head of the executive, is largely ceremonial. The Prime Minister is often, but not always, a Member Of Parliament and is expected with other ministers to ensure the passage of bills through the Legislature . In some Monarchies the prime minister also exercises executive powers (known as the Royal Prerogative ) which are constitutionally vested in the Crown and 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 .Contrary to popular perception the two posts are separate and need not be held by the one person. The last prime minister not to be First Lord of the Treasury was Lord Rosebury at the turn of the 20th Century . 10 Downing Street is actually the First Lord's residence, not the Prime Minister's. As Rosebury was not First Lord he had to live elsewhere as prime minister. Prime ministers may take other ministerial posts—for example during the Second World War Winston Churchill was also Minister Of Defence . PRIMUS INTER PARES Historically, prime ministers are often referred to '' Primus Inter Pares '', a Latin term translated as ''First Among Equals'', and which reflects the original concept of a prime minister as merely the first minister or most senior minister to the monarch, not the dominant or presiding minister, a role later assumed by many prime ministers in many states. HISTORY The term Prime Minister originated in the 18th century in the United Kingdom . Since medieval times Kings of England and the United Kingdom had ministers in whom they placed special trust and who were regarded as the head of the government. Examples were Thomas Cromwell under Henry VIII , Robert Cecil under Elizabeth I , Clarendon under Charles II and Godolphin under Queen Anne . These ministers held a variety of formal posts, but were commonly known as "the Minister," the "first Minister" and finally the "Prime Minister." The power of these ministers depended entirely on the personal favour of the Monarch. Although managing the Parliament was among the necessary skills of holding high office, they did not depend on a parliamentary majority for their power. Although there was a ministers Harley and St. John shared power. The turning point in the evolution of the prime ministership came with the death of Anne in 1714 and the accession of George I . George spoke no English, spent much of his time at his home in Hannover , and had neither knowledge of nor interest in the details of English government. In these circumstances it was inevitable that the King's first minister would become the ''de facto'' head of the government. From 1721 this was the Whig politician Robert Walpole , who held office for twenty-one years. Walpole chaired Cabinet meetings, appointed all the other ministers, dispensed the royal patronage and packed the House Of Commons with his supporters. Under Walpole, the doctrine of Cabinet solidarity developed. Walpole required that no minister other than him have private dealings with the King, and also that when the Cabinet had agreed on a policy, all ministers must defend it in public or resign. As a later Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne , said: "It matters not what we say, gentlemen, so long as we all say the same thing." Walpole always denied that he was a "Prime Minister," and throughout the 18th century parliamentarians and legal scholars continued to deny that any such position was known to the Constitution. The post did not formally exist until 1905, and until then prime ministers held office by virtue of the formal post of First Lord Of The Treasury . George II and George III made strenuous efforts to reclaim the personal power of the Monarch, but the increasing complexity and expense of government meant that a minister who could command the loyalty of the Commons was increasingly necessary. The long tenure of the wartime Prime Minister Pitt The Younger ( 1783 - 1801 ), combined with the mental illness of George III, consolidated the power of the post. By the reign of Queen Victoria it was undisputed that the Prime Minister was real ruler of the country, although his power was always conditional on the support of a majority in the Commons. The prestige of British institutions in the 19th century and the growth of the British Empire saw the British model of Cabinet government, headed by a Prime Minister, widely copied, both in other European countries and in British colonial territories as they developed self-government. In some places alternative titles such as "Premier," "Chief Minister," "First Minister of State", "President of the Council" or "Chancellor" were adopted, but the essentials of the office were the same. By the late 20th century the majority of the world's countries had a Prime Minister or equivalent minister, holding office under either a Constitutional Monarchy or a ceremonial president. The main exceptions to this system have been the United States and the presidential republics in Latin America, modelled on the U.S. system, in which the President directly exercises executive authority. PRIME MINISTERS IN REPUBLICS AND IN MONARCHIES The post of prime minister is one which may be encountered both in constitutional Monarchies (such as Belgium , Denmark , Japan , The Netherlands , Norway , Spain , Canada , Australia , and the United Kingdom ), and in Republic s in which the head of state is an elected (such as France , Finland , Ireland ) or unelected official (such as Germany ) with varying degrees of real power. This contrasts with the Presidential System , in which the President (or equivalent) is both the head of state and the head of the government. See also " First Minister " , " Premier ", " Chief Minister " " Chancellor " and " Taoiseach ": alternative titles usually equivalent in meaning to, or translated as, "prime minister." In some Presidential or Semi-presidential systems such as those of 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. When it arises, such a state of affairs is usually referred to as (political) Cohabitation . ENTRY INTO OFFICE In parliamentary systems a prime minister can enter into office by a number of means.
:In such systems unwritten (and unenforceable) constitutional conventions often outline the order in which people are asked to form a government. If the Prime Minister resigns after a general election, the monarch usually asks the Leader of the Opposition to form a government. Where however a resignation occurs during a parliament (unless the government has itself collapsed) the monarch will ask another member of the government to form a government. While previously the monarch had some leeway in whom to ask, all British political parties now elect their leaders (until 1965 the Conservative s chose their leader by informal consultation). The last time the monarch had a choice over the appointment occurred in 1963 when the Earl Of Home was asked to become Prime Minister ahead of Rab Butler .
''Though most prime ministers are 'appointed', they are often inaccurately described as 'elected'.'' PRIME MINISTERS AND CONSTITUTIONS The position, power and status of prime ministers differ depending on the age of the constitution in individuals. Australia's Constitution makes no mention of a Prime Minister of Australia. 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 mention in official state documents did not occur until the first decade of the twentieth century. Canada's Constitution , being a 'mixed' or hybrid constitution (a constitution that is partly fomally codified and partly uncodified) makes no mention of a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is formally the presiding minister of the Privy Council and the cabinet. Germany's Basic Law (1949) lists the powers, functions and duties of the federal Chancellor . Malta's Constitution Of Malta (1964) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister Of Malta . Ireland's constitution, Bunreacht Na HÉireann (1937) provided for the office of Taoiseach in detail, listing powers, functions and duties. EXIT FROM OFFICE Contrary to popular and Journalist ic belief, most prime ministers in Parliament ary systems are not appointed for a specific term of office and in effect may remain in power through a number of Election s and parliaments. For example, Margaret Thatcher was only ever appointed prime minister on ''one'' occasion, in 1979. She remained ''continuously'' 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 Constitution al 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.) The position of prime minister is normally chosen from the political party that commands majority of seats in the lower house of parliament. In parliamentary systems, Government s 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 House s, 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 Constitution al systems require either: a) a letter of 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 Jurisdiction s 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 ). TITLES 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 Spanish prime minister is the President Of The Government (''Presidente del Gobierno''). Other common forms include President Of The Council Of Ministers (for example in Italy , ''Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri''), President Of The Executive Council , or Minister-President . In Federation s, the head of government of Subnational Entities like States or Provinces is most commonly known as the Premier , Chief Minister or Minister-president . STYLE OF A PRIME MINISTER The title ''prime minister'' is a job title that does not form part of the prime minister's name. It is therefore poor style to refer to “Prime Minister Blair”, just as it would be strange to call someone “Bus Driver Edwards”. The correct form is "Prime Minister Tony Blair" or "Tony Blair, Prime Minister". This mistake is particularly common in the United States, where a high office title is often adopted as if it were a military rank. The title of prime minister is lost when the officer holder ceases to be prime minister. This is not the case for some comparable positions in the United States, which can cause some confusion. When former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jim Bolger became the Ambassador to the United States, he was referred to as “Prime Minister Bolger”, which was both poor style and factually incorrect. Commonwealth Realm prime ministers are often Privy Counsellors entitled to the style ''the right honourable''. In the New Zealand Parliament 's debating chamber the Prime Minister is referred to as ''the Right Honourable the Prime Minister'', rather than by name. In non-Commonwealth countries the prime minister may be entitled to the style of Excellency like a President. CHAIRMAN OR CHIEF? Irish Political Scientist Professor Brian Farrell coined the term "Chairman or Chief" or describe the two alternative concepts of prime ministerial leadership, in his book of the same name about the office of Taoiseach .Brian F. Farrell, ''Chairman or Chief? The Role of Taoiseach in Irish Government'' (1971) The term, widely used in political science worldwide, draws a distinction between a head of government who is merely a facitator and co-ordinator of a cabinet (the "chairman"), and those who lead it forcefully from the front, setting its policy agenda and requiring all ministers to follow the leader's policies (the "chief"). , the current Prime Minister of the Canada.]] Examples of "chairmen" have included Bertie Ahern (Ireland), John Major (United Kingdom) and Couvre De Murville (France), while examples of chiefs included Sean Lemass (Ireland), Margaret Thatcher ) (United Kingdom) and Jacques Chirac under ''cohabitation''. Not every prime minister fits exclusively into either category: Eamon De Valera , though a dominant personality only was interested in controlling some of his government's agenda (usually constitutional matters and Anglo-Irish affairs), allowing large areas to besided by his colleagues. Though superficially a chief (and called "the Chief" by his colleagues) historians see him as more of a chairman, particularly in later governments. Winston Churchill too, though superficially a "chief", was more chairmanlike in later governments and in those areas in which he had little personal interest. As well as describing office holders, individual offices could be described as belonging to one or other category. Among the more dominant prime ministerial offices in terms of powers, and so more chieflike, are the premierships of Ireland and Spain, where premiers can hire and fire at will. In contrast, offices such as President Of The Executive Council Of The Irish Free State , Prime Minister of the Third French Republic, and the premierships of Belgium and The Netherlands are more chairmanlike in format. Lijphart referred to the premiership of the Netherlands as "''primus inter pares'' without due emphasis on ''primus''".Jean Blondel & Ferdinand Muller-Rommel (eds) ''Cabinets in Western Europe'' Macmillan, 1993 edition. p.81. DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE Wilfried Martens , who served as Prime Minister of Belgium, described his role as follows: :First of all Prime Minister must listen a lot, and when deep disagreements occur, he must suggest a solution to the matter. This can be done in different ways. Sometimes during the discussion, I note the elements of the problem and think of a proposal I can formulate to the Council (cabinet), the Secretary taking notes. The Ministers then insist on changing commas and full stops. The Prime Minister can also make a proposal which leaves enough room for amendments in order to keep the current discussion on the right tracks. When a solution must be found in order to reach a consensus, he can force one or two Ministers to join or resign.Wilfried Martens, quoted in Ibid . 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. FOOTNOTES SEE ALSO
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