Prime Minister of Brabantia

Coat of Arms of the Government

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Brabantia is the head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Brabantia and Head of Government. The Prime Minister coordinates its policy with his cabinet. The Monarch usually appoints the person who is most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons, although it is not mandated to be. The current Prime Minister is Sebastian Kurz, in office since 7 April 2023.

## Role

Although the Prime Minister is the leading political figure and, usually, the leader of the largest party in the Lower Chamber, they are not quite as powerful as the British Prime Minister and the German Chancellor. This is mainly because the President is the head of the executive branch and has the most authority, both at home and abroad.

The Constitution does not specify the tasks the Prime Minister has, it only mentions that the Prime Minister is the Head of Government and the Head of the Cabinet.

Conventionally, the Prime Minister directs his/her Cabinet, and sets out the policy agenda. The Prime Minister also sets out the legislative agenda, through the Leader of the House of Commons, who is to schedule the debates or legislative proposals that individual Members of Parliament or members of the Cabinet have proposed.

The Prime Minister chairs the meetings of the Cabinet and has the power to set the agenda of these meetings. The Prime Minister's Ministry is the Ministry of General Affairs, which takes an important role in coordinating policy and is responsible for the Government Information Service (GIS).

The Prime Minister functions as the "face" of the government to the public. The Prime Minister's official residence is Whitechapel.

## Appointment

The electoral system makes it very difficult for one party to win an outright majority in the House of Commons. Hence, Brabantine Governments are usually coalitions between two or more parties. After each election, the party leaders meet with potential coalition partners to seek a majority coalition.

When a coalition has been formed, the leader of the largest coalition party is invited by the Monarch.

### **Succession**

In the case of a Prime Minister's resignation during a Session of the House of Commons, it is the Monarch who chooses a successor, however, conventionally the Monarch does so by the advice of the coalition parties or the largest party in the House of Commons.

In the case of a hung parliament, where no party has a majority in the House of Commons and a range of different governments could potentially be formed, political parties may wish to hold discussions to establish who is best able to command the confidence of the House of Commons and should form the next government. The Monarch does not get involved in such discussions. On such occasions, the incumbent government remains in office unless and until the Prime Minister tenders their and the government's resignation to the House of Commons.

Finally, in the case of a general election resulting in an overall majority for a party other than the one in power, the incumbent Prime Minister and government will immediately resign and the Monarch will invite the leader of the winning party to form a government. This usually happens the day after the general election.