Provisional government explained

A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership,[1] is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revolution, civil war, or some combination thereof.

Provisional governments generally come to power in connection with a grave crisis that has caused the previous government to suddenly and irreversibly collapse, such as economic collapse, civil war, defeat in a foreign war, revolution, or the death of a long-serving authoritarian ruler. Questions of democratic transition and state-building are often fundamental to the formation and policies of such governments.

Provisional governments maintain power until a new government can be appointed by a regular political process, which is generally an election.[2] They may be involved with defining the legal structure of subsequent regimes, guidelines related to human rights and political freedoms, the structure of the economy, government institutions, and international alignment.[3]

Provisional governments differ from caretaker governments, which are responsible for governing within an established parliamentary system and serve temporarily after an election, vote of no confidence or cabinet crisis, until a new government can be appointed. Caretaker governments operate entirely within the existing constitutional framework and most countries tightly circumscribe their authority, in contrast to provisional governments, which often operate in the absence of any elected legislature and usually enjoy expansive, if temporary, powers.

In opinion of Yossi Shain and Juan J. Linz, provisional governments can be classified to four groups:[4]

  1. Revolutionary provisional governments (when the former regime is overthrown and the power belongs to the people who have overthrown it).
  2. Power sharing provisional governments (when the power is shared between former regime and the ones who are trying to change it).
  3. Incumbent provisional governments (when the power during transitional period belongs to the former regime).
  4. International provisional governments (when the power during the transitional period belongs to the international community).

The establishment of provisional governments is frequently tied to the implementation of transitional justice.[5] Provisional governments may be responsible for implementing transitional justice measures as part of the path to establishing a permanent government structure.

The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule. Irregularly convened assemblies during the English Revolution, such as Confederate Ireland (1641–49), were described as "provisional". The Continental Congress, a convention of delegates from 13 British colonies on the east coast of North America became the provisional government of the United States in 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. The government shed its provisional status in 1781, following ratification of the Articles of Confederation, and continued in existence as the Congress of the Confederation until it was supplanted by the United States Congress in 1789.

The practice of using "provisional government" as part of a formal name can be traced to Talleyrand's government in France in 1814. In 1843, American pioneers in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America established the Provisional Government of Oregon—as the U.S. federal government had not yet extended its jurisdiction over the region—which existed until March 1849. The numerous provisional governments during the Revolutions of 1848 gave the word its modern meaning: A liberal government established to prepare for elections.

List of provisional governments

Numerous provisional governments have been established since the 1850s.

Africa

As of 2024, eight African countries currently have provisional governments: South Sudan, Libya, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Gabon.

Americas

As of 2024 in the Americas, only Haiti has a provisional government.

Asia

World War I and Interbellum

World War II

Cold War and aftermath

21st century

As of 2024 in Asia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the State of Palestine (detailed above), Syria, and Yemen currently have provisional governments. The Syrian provisional governments are opposition groups in rebellion against their internationally recognized government. Afghanistan's provisional government is unrecognized, but is Latin: [[de facto]] the country's sole governing body. Myanmar and Yemen have both ruling and opposition provisional governments.

Europe

World War I and Interbellum

World War II

Provisional governments were also established throughout Europe as occupied nations were liberated from Nazi occupation by the Allies.

Cold War

Collapse of the USSR and aftermath

21st century

As of 2024 in Europe, only Belarus and the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine have provisional governments. The former was established by the opposition in parallel with the government of the Republic of Belarus, while the latter exists as a Russian puppet government in opposition to the government of Ukraine.

Oceania

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Google Ngram Viewer . 2019-03-08 . 2019-06-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190608115427/https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=interim+government%2C+provisional+government%2C+morning+government%2C+transitional+government&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=18&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cinterim%20government%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cprovisional%20government%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Ctransitional%20government%3B%2Cc0 . live .
  2. Web site: caretaker government. 18 December 2015. Credo Reference. Dictionary of politics and government. 1 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220601203110/https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/acbgovtpol/caretaker_government/0. live.
  3. The Role of Interim Governments. Shain . Linz. Yossi. Juan J.. January 1992. Journal of Democracy. 3. 73–79. 10.1353/jod.1992.0012. 153562287.
  4. Yossi Shain, Juan J. Linz, "Between States: Interim Governments in Democratic Transitions", 1995, https://books.google.com/books?id=uy2GQmasDg4C&pg=PR11, p. 5
  5. Transitional Justice and the Rule of Law. McAuliffe. Padraig. 1 September 2010. Hague Journal of the Rule of Law. 10.1017/S1876404510200015. 154281455.
  6. Web site: Gestión. Redacción. 2020-11-16. Francisco Sagasti gana Mesa Directa y será presidente de Perú hasta el 28 de julio del 2021. 2020-11-16. Gestión. es.
  7. Web site: Nikou. Semira N.. Timeline of Iran's Political Events. United States Institution of Peace. 10 August 2013.
  8. Book: Sayigh. Yezid. Armed Struggle and the Search for State: The Palestinian National Movement, 1949–1993. Oxford University Press. 1999. 9780198296430. illustrated. 624. "The Palestinian National Council also empowered the central council to form a government-in-exile when appropriate, and the executive committee to perform the functions of government until such time as a government-in-exile was established."
  9. News: The Palestinian Authority. The New York Times. 2012-11-29. 2013-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20130721050045/http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/palestinian_authority/index.html. live.
  10. News: 2020-02-18. Syria: Who's in control of Idlib?. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-02-22. 2019-07-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190727020858/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-45401474. live.
  11. News: Myanmar coup foes tout minority-backed shadow government . 18 March 2022 . . 16 April 2021 . . 18 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220318025701/https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-aung-san-suu-kyi-global-trade-myanmar-asia-efd466d20a2833fc66bbe218a16fd27f . live .
  12. News: Myanmar shadow government condemns army ruler for taking PM role . 18 March 2022 . . 2 August 2021 . 3 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220403211717/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-shadow-government-condemns-army-ruler-taking-pm-role-2021-08-02/ . live .
  13. News: Choi . Joseph . EU: Provisional Taliban government does not fulfill promises . 18 March 2022 . . 8 September 2021 . 18 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220318015908/https://thehill.com/policy/international/571292-eu-provisional-taliban-government-does-not-fulfill-promises . live .
  14. Web site: Statement of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regarding cabinet announcement . Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – Voice of Jihad . 18 March 2022 . 7 September 2021 . The Islamic Emirate has decided to appoint and announce a caretaker cabinet to undertake necessary governmental tasks. . 5 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205154736/https://alemarahenglish.af/?p=48478 . live .
  15. News: Salem . Mostafa . Kolirin . Lianne . Hopes of peace in Yemen as President hands power to new presidential council . 8 April 2022 . . 7 April 2022 . 8 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220408002649/https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/07/middleeast/yemen-presidential-council-intl/index.html . live .
  16. News: Ghobari . Mohamed . Yemen president sacks deputy, delegates presidential powers to council . 7 April 2022 . . . 7 April 2022 . With this declaration a Presidential Leadership Council shall be established to complete the implementation of the tasks of the transitional period. I irreversibly delegate to the Presidential Leadership Council my full powers in accordance with the constitution and the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanism. . 1 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220501215243/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemen-president-relieves-deputy-his-post-2022-04-07/ . live .
  17. News: Bangladesh’s interim government will take oath on Thursday, says the military chief . 7 August 2024 . Associated Press . 7 August 2024 .
  18. https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19220200162 Dziennik Ustaw, no. 20, position 162, 25 March 1922
  19. https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19220260213 Dziennik Ustaw, no. 26, poz. 213, 6 April 1922
  20. Web site: The Provisional National Government (1945). 20 March 2017. The Orange Files: Notes on Illiberal Democracy in Hungary. 3 December 2015. 25 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170925231005/https://theorangefiles.hu/the-provisional-national-government-1945/. live.
  21. Web site: Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti Cumhuriyet Meclisi . 2019-11-17 . 2019-11-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191117104351/http://www.cm.gov.nc.tr/GecmisYonetim . live .