prime minister

prime minister, the head of government in a country with a parliamentary or semipresidential political system. In such systems, the prime minister—literally the “first,” or most important, minister—must be able to command a continuous majority in the legislature (usually the lower house in a bicameral system) to remain in office.

Development of the office of prime minister

Most countries with prime ministers have two executives, a head of government (the prime minister) and a head of state (generally either a non-executive president or a hereditary monarch). The head of state formally appoints the prime minister, who in turn selects the other cabinet ministers. In practice, however, the choice exercised by the head of state is often quite limited (except in semipresidential systems); it is restricted generally to the head of the largest party or coalition in the legislature (typically the lower house in a bicameral system). Although the origin of the title lies in 17th-century France, where Cardinal de Richelieu was acknowledged in 1624 as principal or premier ministre, the office essentially developed in Britain in the 18th century, when the king ceased to attend and chair meetings of his ministers. This change left powerful premiers to take on the role of government chief executive—for example, Robert Walpole (1721–42), who is generally considered Britain’s first prime minister, and William Pitt, the Younger (1783–1801; 1804–06). During their long tenures, the prime minister became the preeminent cabinet member, supervising and coordinating the work of every government department; other cabinet members were required to subscribe to the government’s official policy; and the prime minister was required to command a majority in the House of Commons—all characteristics shared by modern prime ministers.

Since the development of the office of prime minister, holders of the position have typically concentrated on the most high-profile or strategic aspects of government, particularly top-level foreign relations, major defense decisions, macroeconomic policy, and the government’s legislative timetable and priorities. As a result, relations between the prime minister and the foreign and finance ministers (and defense ministers during conflicts) are normally key indicators of the success of a government. In the modern period the role of prime minister has been enhanced by the emergence of international summits and heads of government meetings (e.g., the regular meetings of the heads of government of members of the European Union) as key events in international diplomacy.

Nevertheless, the role and influence of premiers (using their own political resources) have tended to be eroded by the increased specialization of government and the expanded role of bureaucracies and government professionals. For example, in the late 1980s in the United Kingdom the Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher intervened personally to force through changes in Britain’s football (soccer) grounds, such as the installation of steel cages to pen in crowds, to counteract the politically embarrassing problem of football “hooliganism.” But these changes destroyed a delicate balance between crowd control and crowd safety, and they were subsequently abandoned following the death in 1989 of more than 90 football fans who were crushed against fences at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. Equally, Thatcher’s introduction of a “poll tax,” an unpopular local tax that charged rich and poor alike at the same rate, proved impossible to implement and was scrapped within two years of its introduction at a cost of billions of pounds. Indeed, the public backlash against the introduction of the tax created opposition from Conservative members of the House of Commons, which induced Thatcher’s resignation as prime minister and her replacement by John Major, her chancellor of the Exchequer. These examples illustrate that “policy communities” in many different areas of government may command detailed expertise on issues that prime ministers may override—sometimes at their own peril. In most countries, premiers have tried to ease these limitations on their influence by building up their own policy staffs with expertise and establishing units to oversee the enactment of their key strategies and priorities. But there is only limited evidence that such policy centralization can work successfully.

Most countries in the world now have established an office of prime minister (alternatively called premier or chancellor). However, the United States and many African and Latin American countries have adopted presidential systems consisting of an executive president (who is also head of state) and a separation of powers between the legislature and the executive. In these countries, the president picks his own cabinet or government, which does not depend on legislative support to remain in office (see presidency of the United States of America). Indeed, whereas in parliamentary systems prime ministers can be removed from office by the legislature through a simple vote of confidence, executive presidents can generally be removed from office only through a more cumbersome impeachment proceeding for serious crimes or abuse of office.

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