Caretaker government

Last updated

A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, [1] is a temporary ad hoc government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. [2] [3] Depending on specific practice, it consists of either randomly selected members of parliament or outgoing members until their dismissal.

Contents

Caretaker governments in representative democracies are usually limited in their function, serving only to maintain the status quo , rather than truly govern and propose new legislation. Unlike the government it is meant to temporarily replace, a caretaker government does not have a legitimate mandate (electoral approval) to exercise aforementioned functions.

Definition

Caretaker governments may be put in place when a government in a parliamentary system is defeated in a motion of no confidence, or in the case when the house to which the government is responsible is dissolved, to be in place for an interim period until an election is held and a new government is formed. In this sense, in some countries which use a Westminster system of government, the caretaker government is simply the incumbent government, which continues to operate in the interim period between the normal dissolution of parliament for the purpose of holding an election and the formation of a new government after the election results are known. Unlike in ordinary times, the caretaker government's activities are limited by custom and convention.

In systems where coalition governments are frequent a caretaker government may be installed temporarily while negotiations to form a new coalition take place. This usually occurs either immediately after an election in which there is no clear victor or if one coalition government collapses and a new one must be negotiated. [4] Caretaker governments are expected to handle daily issues and prepare budgets for discussion, but are not expected to produce a government platform or introduce controversial bills.

A caretaker government is often set up following a war until stable democratic rule can be restored, or installed, in which case it is often referred to as a provisional government.

Caretaker governments associated with elections

Many countries are administered by a caretaker government during election periods, such as:

Other countries that use similar mechanisms include Canada, [5] and New Zealand.

Caretaker governments associated with wars or new regimes

Caretakers

Heads of caretaker governments are often referred to as a "caretaker" head, for example "caretaker prime minister".

Similarly, but chiefly in the United States, caretakers are individuals who fill seats in government temporarily without ambitions to continue to hold office on their own. [6] This is particularly true with regard to United States senators who are appointed to office by the governor of their state following a vacancy created by the death or resignation of a sitting senator. [7] Sometimes governors wish to run for the seat themselves in the next election but do not want to be accused of unfairness by arranging their own appointments in the interim. Also, sometimes they do not wish to be seen as taking sides within a group of party factions or prejudicing of a primary election by picking someone who is apt to become an active candidate for the position.

In some cases, appointment of a caretaker is an opportunity for a Governor to appoint a chief of staff, party leader, counsel, or other senior adviser to the position, as a reward for service or to boost their résumé. Examples include Ann Richards appointing Bob Krueger, Deval Patrick appointing Paul G. Kirk, Chris Christie appointing Jeffrey Chiesa, and Phil Murphy appointing George Helmy as Senators, the latter two from New Jersey.

At one time, widows of politicians were often selected as caretakers to succeed their late husbands; in a phenomenon known as "widow’s succession." At the beginning of the 20th century, it was one of the most effective ways of getting women into Congress, even though the widow may have originally only been supposed to act as a placeholder for her dead husband and was only expected to serve for a brief period. [8] The widows may have been selected to honor the deceased member, tap voters’ sympathy, or exploit name recognition to hold onto a seat while more conventional candidates prepared for the real campaign. It also may have helped some of the women grieve and make up for the sudden loss of income in a world where few worked outside the home. Among first-time candidates for the US House of Representatives from 1916 to 1993, 84% of the widows won, while only 14% of other women were victorious. The trend was strongest when women were rarer in politics; 35 of the 95 women who served in Congress through 1976 were congressional wives first. [9] Political scientist Diane Kincaid wrote that "statistically, at least, for women aspiring to serve in Congress, the best husband has been a dead husband." Academics Lisa Solowiej and Thomas L. Brunell called it "arguably the single most important historical method for women to enter Congress." [10]

Nevertheless, this custom is rarely exercised today, as it could be viewed by some as nepotism.

In Canada and most other English-speaking countries, the more widely accepted term in this context is interim, as in interim leader. In Italy, this kind of premier is the President of Government of Experts.

List of caretaker individuals

The following is a list of individuals who have been considered caretaker (or provisional or interim) heads of state or heads of government:

Heads of state

Heads of government

19th century and earlier
20th century
21st century

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Bangladesh</span> Politics in Bangladesh

Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone seventeen amendments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Bangladesh</span> Head of government of Bangladesh

The prime minister of Bangladesh, officially prime minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the chief executive of the government of Bangladesh. The prime minister and the cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. The prime minister is ceremonially appointed by the president of Bangladesh.

A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revolution, civil war, or some combination thereof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samsunspor</span> Sports club in Turkey

Samsunspor is a Turkish professional multi-sports club based in the city of Samsun, best known for its football department. The club was formed through a merger of five clubs: 19 Mayıs, Akınspor, Fener Gençlik, Samsunspor, and Samsunspor Galatasaray. The club colours are red and white, and they play their home matches at Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FK Bregalnica Štip</span> Football club

FK Bregalnica Štip is a professional football club based in Štip, North Macedonia. They are currently competing in the Macedonian Second Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KF Shkëndija</span> Macedonian association football club

Klubi i Futbollit Shkëndija, commonly known as Shkëndija, is a professional football club based in Tetovo, North Macedonia. Their home stadium is Ecolog Arena and they currently play in the Macedonian First League. In the 2010–11 season of the Macedonian First Football League, the club won its first major championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosta F.C.</span> Association football club in Malta

Mosta Football Club is a Maltese football club based in the town of Mosta on the island of Malta. They have played in the Maltese Premier League since the 2011–12 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor of Tlaxcala</span>

The governor of Tlaxcala is the position representing the complete executive power of the government of the Mexican state of Tlaxcala, per the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Bangladesh (1971–present)</span> Post-independence history of Bangladesh

The history of Bangladesh (1971–present) refers to the period after the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.

Atisbo is a Local Government Area in Okeogun, Oyo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Tede. Atisbo local Government which is erroneously spelt as ATIGBO by many online pages was created by former Head of State Late Gen. Sanni Abacha in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mir Hazar Khan Khoso</span> Pakistani jurist and politician (1929–2015)

Mir Hazar Khan Khoso was a Pakistani jurist who was the caretaker prime minister of Pakistan from 25 March to 5 June 2013. Khoso was a judge who previously served as the chief justice of the Federal Shariat Court and served as the caretaker prime minister ahead of the general elections scheduled in May 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumen Radev</span> President of Bulgaria since 2017

Rumen Georgiev Radev is a Bulgarian politician and former major general who has been the president of Bulgaria since 22 January 2017.

Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe is an Ambazonian separatist leader from Ewelle village in Manyu division, and is the disputed first president of the unrecognized Federal Republic of Ambazonia. In January 2018 he was extradited from Nigeria to Cameroon, where he has been incarcerated ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galab Donev</span> Bulgarian politician (born 1967)

Galab Spasov Donev is a Bulgarian politician who served as the caretaker Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2 August 2022 to 6 June 2023. He is the longest-serving caretaker prime minister in Bulgaria's history to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Donev Government</span> Current government of Bulgaria

The Donev government was the 100th Cabinet of Bulgaria. It took office on 2 August 2022, after being nominated by President Rumen Radev to solve the political crisis that led to the fall of the Petkov Government and the calling of a snap election for October 2. It is a caretaker government chaired by prime minister Galab Donev.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denkov Government</span> Government of Bulgaria from 2023 to 2024

The Denkov Government is the 102nd cabinet of Bulgaria. It was approved by the parliament on 6 June 2023, and is a majority coalition of GERB and PP–DB. Per the coalition agreement, it is set to be a rotation government, where PP–DB's Nikolai Denkov would start with the premiership, with GERB's Mariya Gabriel serving as deputy prime minister, and after nine months, the two would switch positions. Per the agreement, Denkov and his cabinet resigned on 6 March 2024 in preparation for Gabriel to form her cabinet, although the Denkov government stayed on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimitar Glavchev</span> Prime Minister of Bulgaria since 2024

Dimitar Borisov Glavchev is a Bulgarian politician who is the current caretaker Prime Minister of Bulgaria. A political independent, he is also the Head of the Chamber of Audit, currently on unpaid leave. He was previously a member of the GERB party and served as Member of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2021. In 2017, he briefly served as Chairman of the National Assembly.

References

  1. ↑ "The caretaker regime's duties". Daily Times. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  2. ↑ "CARETAKER GOVERNMENT (noun) definition and synonyms - Macmillan Dictionary". www.macmillandictionary.com.
  3. ↑ "CARETAKER GOVERNMENT - meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary". dictionary.cambridge.org.
  4. ↑ Hasanuzzaman, Al Masud (2012). "Caretaker Government". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  5. ↑ Sinha, Awanish; Lefton, Hartley; Iarusso, Amanda; Kanji, Adam (12 August 2021). "What you need to know about the caretaker convention". www.mccarthy.ca. McCarthy Tétrault. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "Who is a caretaker Prime Minister? - Jaran Josh". 5 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "How do states fill vacancies in the U.S. Senate? It depends on the state - Pew Research Center". 3 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "Widow's Succession: How Women First Gained a Foothold in Congress". United States Capitol Historical Society.
  9. ↑ "Widows of Bono, Capps Are on Well-Worn Path to Office". Los Angeles Times. 26 January 1998.
  10. ↑ Solowiej, Lisa; Brunell, Thomas L. (September 2003). "The Entrance of Women to the U.S. Congress: The Widow Effect". Political Research Quarterly. 56 (3): 283–292. doi:10.1177/106591290305600304. S2CID   153981256.
  11. ↑ "Profile of Mr. Wasim Sajjad". Story of Pakistan. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "Soomro takes over as Pak President". Press Trust of India. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ Motlanthe: South Africa's safe hands BBC News, 25 September 2008
  14. ↑ "Peru's uphill battle with corruption". Deutsche Welle. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2024. Francisco Sagasti is Peru's new caretaker president.
  15. ↑ "Francisco Sagasti sworn in as interim Peruvian leader". 16 November 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  16. ↑ Slaughter, Graham (21 January 2021). "Canada's top judge is now Governor General, but expert urges speedy replacement". CTVNEWS.
  17. ↑ "Government continues as acting government". 24 October 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  18. ↑ "Italy's Mattarella dissolves parliament, election set for 25 September". euronews. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  19. ↑ "Barnier to resign as French PM after government collapse". BBC News. 5 December 2024.
  20. ↑ "French PM Barnier Arrives At Elysee To Submit Resignation To Macron: AFP". AFP News. 5 December 2024.
  21. ↑ "Syrian prime minister says ready to support continuity of governance". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.