Prime Minister–designate
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A prime minister–designate or premier–designate is the person who is expected to succeed an incumbent as
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
, or
premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
, as the result of a general election, winning the leadership of a currently governing party, or being named by the
head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "
he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
to form a new government.


Overview

In the
Westminster system The Westminster system, or Westminster model, is a type of parliamentary system, parliamentary government that incorporates a series of Parliamentary procedure, procedures for operating a legislature, first developed in England. Key aspects of ...
, which originated in what is now the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the head of state or their representative has the sole prerogative to appoint a new prime minister upon the resignation, dismissal or death of the incumbent prime minister. Invariably, sitting prime ministers who after an election have no reasonable hope of commanding the confidence of parliament will resign rather than face a certain
vote of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...
. If another party has won a
majority government A majority government is a government by one or more governing parties that hold an absolute majority of seats in a legislature. Such a government can consist of one party that holds a majority on its own, or be a coalition government of multi ...
, the prime minister will formally advise the appointment of that party's leader as the new prime minister. There is usually no set minimum or maximum amount of time set aside for the transition to take place, but often in countries that have adopted the Westminster system the incoming head of government will want two or three weeks to put affairs in order and determine who should get cabinet posts, which itself might require more time especially if recounts involving prospective frontbenchers are in progress. As such, the incoming head of government will spend two or three weeks as prime minister-designate before being formally sworn in as prime minister. This is not the case in the United Kingdom itself however, where an opposition leader who wins a clear majority in a general election is expected to assume office as soon as possible, often within 24 hours after the polls close. The situation is more complicated in the case of a
hung parliament A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system (typically employing Majoritarian representation, majoritarian electoral systems) to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing ...
. By law, incumbent prime ministers always have the right to try to win the confidence of the house in a confidence vote. Often, especially if they do not have the most seats, prime ministers will not attempt to remain in office and will instead relinquish power in favour of the leader of the largest party, in which case they become prime minister-designate same as if their party had a majority. On the other hand, if a prime minister in such a situation chooses not to resign, the leader of the largest opposition party will not become the prime minister-designate even if their party has the most seats. In the latter case, the prime minister must win a vote of confidence to remain in office. If they are immediately defeated in the house, the head of state (or representative thereof) in most Westminster systems has the '' de facto'' prerogative to refuse a request to dissolve the house. The leader of the largest opposition party therefore could still become prime minister-designate perhaps several weeks after the general election. The term prime minister–elect is sometimes used as a synonym, but in most circumstances, it is technically incorrect: a prime minister is usually appointed by the head of state, and not elected to office by the entire nation, as is the case with some presidential polls. However, it has nonetheless seen common use in the media. Terms such as incoming prime minister and prime minister–in-waiting are also sometimes used, although the latter term is also sometimes used prior to an election for a party leader who is leading in the polls and/or has a meaningful chance of winning, or even more generally at any time between elections in reference to any opposition party leader (regardless of his or her party's perceived electoral prospects) and even for future leadership contenders within the current governing party. Under the broader definition, many prime ministers-in-waiting never actually become prime ministers. In some countries the role is specifically covered by legislation, in others, convention applies before the chosen leader is sworn in. The
Australian Electoral Commission The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for the management and oversight of Australian federal elections, plebiscites, referendums and some trade union A ...
, the government authority responsible for the conduct of elections in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, notes that "it is usually possible for the prime minister-elect to claim victory on the night of the election". The media sometimes prematurely refers to someone as a prime minister-designate where the broader term of prime minister-in-waiting would be more suitable. Common circumstances when this happens include upcoming leadership elections where there is only one candidate and/or a clear majority of eligible voters in the election have pledged to vote for a particular candidate. For example, in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
during the 2007 Labour Party leadership election,
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
was referred to as the prime minister–designate even before the leadership elections had confirmed him in that position. Some reporters have suggested that in such circumstances, the term prime minister-presumptive would be more suitable than either "in-waiting" or "designate" since the prospects of accession are typically similar to that of an
heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...
in a monarchy or a
presumptive nominee Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presel ...
in a
United States presidential election The election of the president of the United States, president and Vice President of the United States, vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are Voter registration in the United ...
. In the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
, where the prime minister and head of government are officially titled and referred to in both English and Irish as the
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
, the person most expected to succeed to the office is variously described as the presumptive Taoiseach, the Taoiseach-designate, the Taoiseach-in-waiting or more rarely the Taoiseach-elect, with no singular style predominating. In continental European Parliamentary systems, which frequently use
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...
for elections to parliament, and have a multiparty system that makes it improbable for one party to win an outright majority, there is usually no prime minister-designate apparent right after the election. Rather, the outgoing
caretaker government A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...
continues to serve in a lame duck capacity, while the head of state consults with representatives of the parties represented in the new parliament, and designates a
formateur A formateur (French for "someone who forms, who constitutes") is a politician who is appointed to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur i ...
to form a majority coalition. The former only becomes prime minister-designate once the coalition formation is finalized; in turn, the prime minister-designate only becomes prime minister after receiving a formal vote of confidence from the newly-elected parliament. The title "premier-designate" often has the same meaning in governments that use the title "premier" to describe a role equivalent to a prime minister.


Constitutionally specified roles

In most jurisdictions where the term is used, becoming prime minister-designate grants no special powers, duties or privileges until an appointment to the office is made.


Israel

Between 1996 and 2001 (when direct prime-ministerial elections were held) the role and duration of the prime minister-elect were prescribed by
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
i legislation: within 45 days of the publication of the election results (which were published eight days after elections) the prime minister-elect would have appeared before the
Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
, presented the ministers of the government, announced the division of tasks and the guiding principles of the government's policies, and, after receiving a
vote of confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fit ...
, enter into office. In 2001, the Knesset voted to change the system of direct prime-ministerial elections and restore the one-vote parliamentary system of government that operated until 1996, approving a reformed version of the original Basic Law: The Government 1968. This new law entered into effect with the January 2003 elections. ''and''


Solomon Islands

The
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
' constitution provides fourteen days between the date of the
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
and the selection of the
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. During this period, aspiring candidates for prime minister lobby intensely to acquire the numbers needed to win the contest and form the
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
. The individual successfully voted to form a government is the prime minister-designate until sworn in by the
governor-general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
.


See also

*
-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the U ...
* Caretaker government of Australia *
President-elect of the United States The president-elect of the United States is the candidate who has presumptively won the United States presidential election and is awaiting inauguration to become the president. There is no explicit indication in the U.S. Constitution as to wh ...


References

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