Posted by Chester Morton / Wednesday, 23 November 2016 / No comments
The limitations of the Prime Minister
Vote of no confidence
Under the Parliamentary system of
government, if the Members of Parliament the Prime Minster is not performing to their
satisfaction and not meeting the aspirations for which he was put there, they
could pass a vote of no confidence in him. Under such a situation, the Prime
Minister must resign. The fear of being pushed out of power serves as a
limitation to his powers.
May lose elections
One of the qualifications of Prime
Minister is that he must have been elected by his or her constituents. The
Prime Minister could lose the elections in his or her constituency, in which
case he or she automatically loses the position of the Prime Minister. This
also serves as a limitation of the prime Minister.
Loss of majority seats in parliament
The prime Minister, again, is the
leader of the majority party in parliament. In fact, it is the bases of him
becoming the prime Minister. Anytime his party loses the majority seats in
parliament, he loses his position. This also serves as a limitation to his or
her powers.
Toeing the party line
The party, to which the Prime
Minister belongs, has an ideology and policies manifesto they would like to
implement. The Prime Minister can, therefore, not act outside the policies that
the party professes. This is another limitation to the powers of the Prime
Minister.
Opposition in Parliament
The presence of a Prime Minister denotes
a cabinet system of government. In a cabinet system, there is an officially
recognized opposition. One of the main functions of the opposition is to give
constructive criticism intended to keep the government on its toes. This is
another limitation to the powers of the Prime Minister.
Advice from the head of State
From time to time, the Head of State
may advise the Prime Minister on one issue or the other. He or she may draw the
attention of the Prime Minister to certain pertinent issues confronting the
country. In that sense, the Head of State serves as a limitation to the Prime
Minister.
Public opinion
The Prime Minister could be
influenced by the public. This may happen when he leads the introduction a
policy that the public thinks is inimical to their interest. Also, the prime
Minister may not want to be in the news for the wrong reasons. In that sense,
he is limited by the opinions of the public.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. Highlight six limitations on the
functions and powers of the Prime Minister.
