Category Archives: Reform

Germany Is The New Belgium: Of Continental Parliamentarism and Caretaker Government

Posted on 2018/01/01 by

Introduction Germany has become the new Belgium now that the Merkel III Ministry, a Grand Coalition of Social Democrats and Christian Democrats that should only have lasted from 2013 to 2017, has become a Belgian-style long-term caretaker government. Caretaker Chancellor … Continue reading →

Posted in Caretaker Convention, Codification of Convention, Comparative, Constructive Non-Confidence, Government Formation in Germany, Officialization of Convention | Leave a comment

How Early General Federal Elections Can Be Held in Germany

Posted on 2017/11/26 by

Introduction Germans elected a new parliament on 24 September 2017. The main center-right and center-left parties, the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, both lost ground to the far-right Alternative for Germany and the far-left, aptly named The Left. The Free … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative, Fixed-Date Elections, Government Formation in Germany | 1 Comment

Premier Gallant and the Early Dissolution That Wasn’t

Posted on 2017/10/28 by

Introduction  On Friday, 20 October 2017, CBC journalist Jacques Poitras reported on a strange, ambiguous press release  from the Liberal Premier of New Brunswick, Brian Gallant, and speculated what it might mean. The original press release said that the Premier … Continue reading →

Posted in Dissolution, Fixed-Date Elections | 2 Comments

What The Conservative-DUP Agreement Says about Votes of Confidence Under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act

Posted on 2017/06/26 by

The Conservative and Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party have finally hammered out a supply agreement that would give May’s minority government a parliamentary majority. You can read it here: Confidence and Supply Agreement between the Conservative Party and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Confidence Convention, Fixed-Date Elections, Formation of Governments | 2 Comments

The Cabinet Manual and Votes of Confidence under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act

Posted on 2017/06/12 by

The Cabinet Manual As Explanatory Guide The Cabinet Manual: A Guide to Laws, Conventions, and Rules on the Operation of Government has proven its worth, both within Whitehall and amongst the wider British public. On 9 June, once the results … Continue reading →

Posted in Confidence Convention, Constructive Non-Confidence, Fixed-Date Elections | 5 Comments