Everything about Head Of Government totally explained
» This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State.
The
Head of Government is the chief officer of the
executive branch of a government, often presiding over a
cabinet. In a
parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled
Prime Minister,
Premier, etc. In
presidential republics or
monarchies, the head of government may be the same person as the
head of state, who is often a
president (of the
republic) or a
monarch.
The current record of longest-serving head of government in a
democratic nation is
Tage Erlander, who was
social democratic prime minister of
Sweden from
1946 to
1969, a total of 23 consecutive years. He won a total of eight elections and was finally succeeded due to severe age.
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, and has the support of, 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 the opposition; in such cases, known as
cohabitation, the government controls internal state policy, with the President restricted largely to foreign affairs.
Types and titles of heads of government
The most common title for a head of government is "Prime Minister." This is used as a formal title in many states, but also informally as a generic term to describe whichever office is formally the first amongst the executive "ministers" of a
Head of State.
Minister — from the
Latin for servants or subordinates (for example servant or subordinate to the Head of State) — is a common title for members of a government (but many other titles are in use, for example secretary (of state)).
Formally, the "Head of State" can also personally be Head of Government (
ex officio or by
ad hoc cumulation such as an absolute monarch nominating himself) but otherwise has formal precedence over the Head of Government and other ministers, whether he's their actual political superior (Absolute Monarch, Executive President) or rather 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.
Official residence
The Head of Government is often provided with an
official residence, in the same way as Heads of State often are.
Well-known official residences of heads of government include:
The name of the residence is often used as a
metonym or alternate title for 'the government' when the office is politically the highest, for example "10 Downing Street" would be used as an alternative form of "the British government".
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. This is sometimes used as an opportunity by provincial/regional governments to display aspirations of statehood, for example:
In Belgium, the Minister-president of the majority Dutch-speaking Flemish community region in the north has a residence: the Hotel Errera (in Brussels) and the Walloon Minister-president also has a residence: the Élysette (a diminutive in French of the Élysée, the French presidential palace) in Namur.
However, Heads of Governments' residences are usually far less grand than those of a Head of State (even a merely ceremonial one), unless they combine both roles, as for example:
The White House (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue), Washington, D.C. — President of the United States of America)
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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Head Of Government'.
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