Deputy prime minister

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A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both positions are "number two" offices. The position of deputy prime minister should not be confused with the Canadian Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister of Canada, which is a non-political civil servant position (Nor does the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada act as a "number two"). The states of Australia and provinces of Canada each have the analogous office of deputy premier. In the devolved administrations of the United Kingdom, an analogous position is that of the deputy first minister although this position in Northern Ireland has the same powers as the First Minister..

A deputy prime minister traditionally serves as acting prime minister when the real prime minister is temporarily absent or incapable of exercising his/her power. For this reason the deputy prime minister is often asked to succeed to the prime minister's office following the prime minister's sudden death or unexpected resignation, although this is not necessarily constitutionally mandated.

Deputy prime minister is often a job that is held simultaneously with another ministry, and is usually given to one of the most senior, experienced ministers of the cabinet.

A deputy prime minister may also be deputy leader of the governing party, or the leader of the junior party of a coalition government.

Little scholarly attention has focused on deputy prime ministers. A 2009 study in Political Science identified nine 'qualities' of deputy prime ministership: temperament; relationships with their Cabinet and caucus; relationships with their party; popularity with the public; media skills; achievements as deputy prime minister; relationship with the prime minister; leadership ambition; and method of succession.[1]

By contrast, the structure of the Government of Russia [2] and Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine foresees the positions of several deputy prime ministers or vice prime ministers.[3] In the case of the Russian government, the Prime Minister is responsible for defining the scope of the duties for each of his or her deputies,[4] who also may head a specific ministry - e.g. the former Minister of Finance of Russia, Alexey Kudrin also serves as one of the deputies of the prime ministers or vice-premiers. One or two of these deputy prime ministers may hold the title of a First Deputy Prime Minister. The Russian federal law indicates that in accordance with the order established in advance, one of the deputy prime ministers may temporarily substitute for the Prime Minister in his or her absence. Customarily, however, it is to one of the "First" Deputy Prime Ministers that the prime-ministerial duties may be delegated. At the same time, in the case of Prime Minister's resignation, the law allows the President of Russia to choose any of the current vice-premiers to serve as an acting Prime Minister until the confirmation of the new government.[5]

Country-specific articles

Country Title Notes
Africa
 Mauritius Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius
Vice Prime Minister of Mauritius
Vice Prime Minister is an honorary title.
America
 Bahamas Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas
 Canada Deputy Prime Minister of Canada position not currently in use (since 2006)
Asia
 China Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
 India Deputy Prime Minister of India position not currently in use (since 2004)
 Israel Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
 Lebanon Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon
 Japan Deputy Prime Minister of Japan
 South Korea Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea (ko:대한민국의 부총리)
 Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
 Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan
 Singapore Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
 Taiwan Vice Premier of the Republic of China
 Thailand Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand
 Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam
Europe
 Austria Vice-Chancellor of Austria
 Croatia Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia
 Finland Deputy Prime Minister of Finland
 Germany Vice-Chancellor of Germany
 Greece Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
 Ireland Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland)
 Luxembourg Vice Prime Minister of Luxembourg Traditionally the leader of the second biggest party in a government coalition
 Malta Deputy Prime Minister of Malta
 Montenegro Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro
 Netherlands Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
 Poland Deputy Prime Minister of Poland
 Russia Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation
 Serbia Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia
 Spain Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
 Sweden Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden
 Turkey Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
 United Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom position not currently in use (since 2015)
Oceania
 Australia Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
 New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand

Former countries

References

  1. Steven Barnes, 'What About Me? Deputy Prime Ministership in New Zealand', Political Science, Vol. 61, No. 1, 2009, pp. 33-49
  2. Article 110.2 of the Constitution of Russian Federation
  3. Article 114 of the Constitution of Ukraine
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