Prime Minister of Georgeland
For a list of prime ministers, see List of Prime Ministers of Georgeland
| Prime Minister of Georgeland | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Style | Prime Minister |
| Type | Head of government |
| Residence |
The Residence, Topstad Manifest Lodge |
| Appointer | President of Georgeland |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Georgeland |
| Inaugural holder | Robert Pearce |
| Formation | 1 July 1891 |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister of Georgeland |
| Salary | $411,339 per year (2023) |
The Prime Minister of Georgeland is the head of government of the United Islands of Georgeland. A constitutional office, the prime minister is chair of the country's Cabinet and governs with the confidence of the elected House of Commons. The prime minister is usually the leader of the party or bloc with a majority of Commons seats, or otherwise able to command a working majority of Commons members. The prime minister is not technically required to be a member of the House, but the constitution stipulates he or she must be a member of the federal parliament, or become one within eight weeks of being appointed.
The prime minister is appointed by the President of Georgeland. Under the Westminster system, the president is nominally the head of the executive but his or her powers are almost always exercised on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. Unlike most Westminster democracies, the Georgeland constitution does specifically mandate the office of prime minister, though its powers remain vague.
The current prime minister is the Hon. Tom Elderton MP, who has held the position since 1 July 2019, following the 2019 general election at which his coalition of the Georgeland Alliance and Reform won a majority of seats. The two parties merged in 2023 to become the Reform Alliance of which Elderton is leader.
Origin and history
The office of prime minister originated as a constitutional convention, with the position modelled after the British equivalent. As a British colony, Georgeland was granted responsible self-government in 1836, with the leader of the colony's elected government assuming the title of Chief Secretary. That office eventually became informally known as Chief Minister, a title which was granted recognition in the colonial Legislative Assembly in 1877. From 1891, when the colony was granted full autonomy under the Crown, the office continued, although the exact title of the office was unclear. In the official gazette of the first ministry, Sir Robert Pearce was listed as 'Chief Minister and Premier' as well as 'Minister for External Affairs'. While Pearce is acknowledged as Georgeland's first prime minister, the title did not become common until about 1910; the first prime minister to be so described in parliamentary records was Eric Donaldson in 1914. Since 1920, all prime ministers have used the title exclusively, and the title 'Chief Minister' has become formally accepted as that of the various state heads of government.
The role has evolved throughout its history, and during the mid-20th century, with the rise of mass media, the prime minister became a more dominant figure in government, even as an elected president caused competition for media attention. During the First World War, it was the Governor-General, Lord Kintore, who primarily influenced government war policy, in consultation with London. By the time of the Second World War, Georgeland had become a republic and, due largely to the precedents and practices set by the first president, Victor Martin, conflict around which official was nominally in charge had been settled in favour of the prime minister. As a result, during the war it was the prime minister, Fenton Thomas, who was very much seen as the national leader while the president, John Grundy, played a crucial part in keeping up national morale. The prime minister's clear superiority as a national policymaker was one factor that led to the presidency being made an appointed, rather than elected, position in 1958; at the same time, the prime minister was added to the constitution, ensuring his place as the president's chief adviser and head of government.
Modern prime ministers have tended to be more presidential in style, to varying degrees. Few prime ministers since the 1960s have faced significant party dissent during their tenure; only two, Charlton Robards and Deborah Robards, have faced a leadership challenge resulting in their deposition. A modern innovation in the office is the manner in which party leaders, and thus prime ministers, are chosen. Until the 2000s, the major parties chose their leaders through a vote of their MPs and senators. The influence of smaller parties such as the Democrats and Georgeland Alliance led to other parties adopting a new mechanism by which leaders are chosen by rank-and-file members of the party, or a combination of members and parliamentarians. Thus, the possibility of a prime minister being replaced mid-term against their will is increasingly low.
Four prime ministers, David Turner, Frederick Eccles, James Gray and Bradley Van Goen, have died in office. In all four cases their deputy, official or unofficial, was temporarily appointed to replace them before they won a leadership election and took over the position permanently.
Prime ministerial records
Youngest
Charlton Robards became prime minister for the first time in October 1995 at the age of 32 years and 4 months. He was the youngest head of government in the world at that time, and is the youngest Georgeland prime minister to date. The incumbent, Tom Elderton, is the second-youngest, taking office at the age of 38.
Oldest
At the time of his death in office in 1932, Sir Frederick Eccles was 75 years old, the oldest prime minister to date. The oldest person to become prime minister is David Turner, who was appointed aged 71 years and died two and a half years later while still in office.
Longest tenure
Noel Quarton served as prime minister for a total of twelve years and four months, served over two different periods (1978-79 and 1983-95). His total time in office is the longest, however Sir Robert Pearce served slightly less time, twelve years and six weeks, in a single term from 1891 to 1903.
Shortest tenure
Michael Fisch was appointed as a caretaker prime minister in 1999 to govern during an election period and constitutional crisis. His time in office was just 39 days, the shortest in history. The shortest tenure of a prime minister appointed in a non-caretaker capacity is just over five months, served by Clare Price from January to July 2019.
Women prime ministers
Zoe Parker became Georgeland's first woman prime minister in 2005. She was followed by Deborah Robards in 2015 and Clare Price in 2019. Georgeland has had more women heads of government than any other nation other than New Zealand and the United Kingdom, which have also had three.
First black prime minister
Lawrence Porter is the first and only Black Georgelander to have served as prime minister, and the only prime minister to have come from a non-Anglo-Saxon background. At the time of his election in 2010, he was the second black head of government of a majority-white nation in history, behind Barack Obama.
Prime Ministerial families
The second prime minister, Nicholas Turner and the fifth, David Turner, were brothers, though they had very different politics and were not close.
Two different prime ministers, Michael Fisch and Tom Elderton, were the children of previous prime ministers. Michael Fisch's father Robert Fisch was prime minister from 1979 to 1983, and Tom Elderton's father Michael Elderton from 2000 to 2001. The 28th prime minister, Deborah Robards, is married to the 22nd, Charlton Robards - the two married during Robards' third period in office.
Several other prime ministers have had children who became prominent in politics - Robert Pearce's son, Robert E. Pearce, was Governor of Scoita, Thomas Richardson's son Sam Richardson was Leader of the Opposition from 2003 to 2006, and Nathan Keegan's son Daniel Keegan was a candidate for Governor of Mainland in 1976 and later Leader of the Opposition in that state parliament from 1985 to 1990.
Qualification and appointment
The Prime Minister is formally appointed by the President, who also appoints members of the Cabinet. The constitutional tradition has been that the President re-appoints the Prime Minister if he or she is re-elected, though this is not a requirement.
To be appointed prime minister, a person must meet the following qualifications:
- Be a member of the House of Commons or the Senate. No prime minister has been a member of the senate at the time of their appointment.
- Have the 'confidence' of the House. This means, in practice, that the governing party must assent to the appointment. A prime minister who loses a vote of no-confidence in the House is obliged by convention to resign or ask the president for a general election.
Authority and role
Most of the prime minister's powers derive from his or her position as head of the cabinet. The prime minister is, by convention, the chair of the cabinet, and the sole authority when it comes to the agenda, timing and location of cabinet meetings. These powers can be delegated to other officials or ministers. In practice, decisions made by cabinet require the support of the prime minister. However, theoretically at least, the prime minister is only "first-among-equals" and is as bound to collective Cabinet decisions as any other member.
The prime minister is, by convention, also Minister for the Civil Service. While some prime ministers have assumed other departmental responsibilities, most have held the title of prime minister alone. Since 1948 the Prime Ministers has had his or her own department, the Department of the Prime Minister, of which he or she is the responsible minister.
The Prime Minister has the power to name ministers and members of the cabinet. While the actual appointments and dismissals are made by the president, they are always done so on the prime minister's advice. No president has withheld consent for a cabinet appointment and to do so would likely provoke a constitutional crisis. Similarly, the powers of the president to dissolve parliament, call elections and make other government appointments are also exercised on the advice of the prime minister.
The prime minister is typically the most visible member of the government. He or she is the dominant figure in Georgeland's political landscape and has an important role in shaping national debate.
As a member of the House of Commons, the prime minister sits regularly in that body. He, like other ministers, are responsible to the House and are subjected to Question Time once every sitting day (except Fridays), in which members of the House ask questions relating to governmental matters to the prime minister and the government.
Privileges
Salary
The prime minister receives a salary of $411,339 a year. He or she is the highest-paid member of parliament. The president is the only government official who is paid more. The prime minister's salary is derived from their parliamentary salary and additional bonuses based on their position as a Cabinet minister and party leader.
Other benefits
The prime Minister is granted an official residence, simply called The Residence, in Topstad. Beginning in 1937, every prime minister since Bertram Powell (with the exception of Michael Fisch) has used the Residence as an office and residence. However, it is a matter of individual choice whether to use the Residence as the primary place of business for the Prime Minister's Office. Luke Macaulay, for instance, used the Residence only when Parliament was not sitting and operated with minimal staff, preferring to base most operations out of his parliamentary office. Charlton Robards and Zoe Parker, however, used the Residence almost exclusively throughout the year as their office. When her husband became President, Deborah Robards used the Residence only as an office, and entertained and resided at Martin Hall, the presidential mansion.
In addition to the Residence, the Prime Minister also has access to a country retreat, referred to as Manifest Lodge, located in the Collery Mountains. Manifest Lodge is a large house surrounded by several acres of wilderness. As with the Residence, use of Manifest Lodge is at the Prime Minister's discretion.
Both the Residence and Manifest Lodge employ a small number of domestic staff.
While in office, the Prime Minister receives exclusive access to a Air Force jet for air transport. In 2008, Prime Minister Macaulay announced that he would only use the jet for international travel, and that he would travel on regular Air Georgeland flights for domestic travel as a cost-cutting exercise. This practice was continued by Lawrence Porter, but use of the domestic jet travel was re-instated by Deborah Robards' government in 2015. In 2019, the domestic jet policy was once again altered, with Tom Elderton flying commercial on all non-international flights. During the coronavirus pandemic, the prime minister (and other governmental officials) used Air Force jets exclusively, and while some trips are taken on private planes or chartered jets, use of the Air Force jet has once again become official policy since 2022.
In the past, former Prime Ministers were entitled to a 'gold pass' which granted them free domestic travel at the government's expense. This practice was discontinued in 2007, again as a budget measure by the new government.
The Prime Minister also receives an official car and chauffeur. Like other senior officials, they are protected by FISIA officers, occasionally supplemented by local and state police officers.
Style of address
As with all other members of the Cabinet, Prime Ministers are entitled to the use of the title the Honourable (usually abbreviated to the Hon.) for life. In normal conversation the prime minister is simply referred to by their title, or as Mr/Ms [Surname]. As all prime ministers are members of the House of Commons, it is considered proper to use the postnominal letters M.P. after their name even when addressing them as a minister rather than representative.
Former prime ministers
Once leaving office, prime ministers continue to be a member of parliament, at least for a short time, unless they lose their parliamentary seat (which has never happened). They continue to be entitled to the title The Hon. and continue to draw their parliamentary allowance. Due to their status as a former prime minister they receive a higher parliamentary pension than others, and most receive an office and small staff. Most former prime ministers continue to be active in the media and politics, many begin business careers, and most have written memoirs and conducted speaking tours. In modern times it is relatively uncommon for former prime ministers to receive diplomatic postings or major government roles - an exception being Charlton Robards, who was Ambassador to the United Nations, Mayor of Santa Christina and President of Georgeland following his prime ministership.
Since July 2019 there have been nine living former prime ministers, more than at any other time in history. As of February 2024 they are:
- Dr Clare Price (b. 1959, served Jan-Jul 2019)
- Deborah Robards (b. 1967, served 2015-2019)
- Lawrence Porter (b. 1950, served 2010-2015)
- Luke Macaulay (b. 1963, served 2007-2010)
- Zoe Parker (b. 1960, served 2005-2007)
- Michael Elderton (b. 1948, served 2000-2001)
- Michael Fisch (b. 1954, served briefly as caretaker in July-August 1999)
- Charlton Robards (b. 1963, served 1995-1999, 1999-2000 and 2001-2005)
- Eric Edge (b. 1932, served Feb-Oct 1995)