Caretaker Government & Caretakers

Caretaker government

Caretaker government is a type of government that rules temporarily. A caretaker government is often set up following a war until stable democratic rule can be restored, or installed, in which case it is often referred to as a provisional government. In some countries (including Australia and New Zealand) the term is used to describe the government that operates in the interim period between the normal dissolution of parliament for the purpose of holding an election and the formation of a new government after the election results are known.

Caretaker governments may also be put in place when a government in a parliamentary system is defeated in a motion of no confidence or in the case when the house to which the government is responsible is dissolved, to rule the country for an interim period until an election is held and a new government is formed. This type of caretaker government is adopted in Bangladesh where an advisor council led by the former chief judge rules the country for three months before an elected government takes over. In systems where coalitions are frequent a caretaker government may be installed temporarily while negotiations to form a new coalition take place. This usually occurs either immediately after an election in which there is no clear victor or if one coalition government collapses and a new one must be negotiated.[1] Caretaker governments are expected to handle daily issues and prepare budgets for discussion, but are not expected to produce a government platform or introduce controversial bills.

 

Caretakers

Caretakers, similarly, are individuals who fill seats in government temporarily without ambitions to continue to hold office on their own. This is particularly true with regard to United States Senators who are appointed to office by the Governor of their state following a vacancy created by the death or resignation of a sitting senator. Sometimes governors wish to run for the seat themselves in the next election but do not want to be accused of unfairness by appointing themselves in the interim. Also, sometimes they do not wish to be seen as taking sides within a group of party factions or prejudicing of a primary election by picking someone who is apt to become an active candidate for the position. At one time, widows of politicians were often selected as caretakers to succeed their late husbands; this custom is rarely exercised today, as it could be viewed by some as nepotism.

In a similar vein, Nelson Rockefeller was said to be a caretaker Vice President of the United States (1974–1977). He was nominated for the office by President Gerald Ford, who had succeeded the resigned President Richard Nixon. Rockefeller made it apparent that he had no further presidential ambitions of his own (unlike many Vice Presidents), despite having run for the office three times in the past, and he had no intention of even running for a full term in the vice presidential office. He kept his intention when Ford's running mate in the 1976 presidential election was Senator Bob Dole.

In Canada, the more widely accepted term in this context is interim, as in interim leader.

Bangladesh is known for its unique model of extended, technocratic Caretaker Government. Although it is in contradiction with the constitution, people supported extended military rule in order to conduct corruption cases against civilian politicians. Recently, rumors spread that Pakistan was going to adopt such a model following dissolution of assembly in 2013. Given the unstable democratic history of Pakistan, it seemed likely, though contrary to popular opinion. However, Pakistan vehemently rejected such a model, expressing its commitment to the democratic system.

 

List of caretaker individuals and governments

The following is a list of individuals who have been considered caretakers for government offices:

Individuals

Presidents

·                    José Linhares (Brazil)

·                    Pascoal Ranieri Mazzilli (Brazil)

·                    Alain Poher (France, especially second term)

·                    Émile Jonassaint (Haiti)

·                    Eduardo Rodríguez (Bolivia)

·                    Eduardo Duhalde (Argentina)

·                    Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa)^[2]

·                    Wasim Sajjad (Pakistan)^[3]

·                    Muhammad Mian Soomro ( Pakistan)^[4]

 

Prime Ministers

·                    Marin Raykov, Bulgaria

·                    Hashim Thaci (Kosovo, first term)

·                    Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (United Kingdom, second term)

·                    Vincent Auriol (France)

·                    Waldemar Pawlak (Poland, first term)

·                    Malik Meraj Khalid (Pakistan)

·                    Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi (Pakistan)

·                    Balakh Sher Mazari (Pakistan)

·                    Malcolm Fraser (Australia)

·                    Jean Kambanda (Rwanda)

·                    Najib Razak (Malaysia)

·                    Mehdi Bazargan (Iran)

·                    Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani (Iran)

·                    Muhammad Mian Soomro (Pakistan)

·                    Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi (Pakistan)

·                    Yves Leterme (Belgium)

·                    Madhav Kumar Nepal (Nepal)

·                    Mir Hazar Khan Khoso (Pakistan)