Demissionary cabinet

A demissionary cabinet (Dutch: "demissionair kabinet") is a type of caretaker cabinet in the Netherlands.

A demissionary cabinet continues the current government after a cabinet has ended. This can either be after completion of the full term, between general elections (when the new house of representatives is installed) and the formation of a new cabinet, or after a cabinet crisis. In both cases the prime minister hands in the resignation of his cabinet to the Dutch Monarch. The Monarch will not accept full resignation until a new cabinet has been formed. Between the moment in which the prime minister hands in the resignation and the monarch installs a new cabinet, the cabinet is labelled demissionary. As a demissionary cabinet is considered a continuation of the previous cabinet, it is not counted as a new cabinet (e.g. Balkenende IV did not become Balkenende V when becoming demissionary).

By constitutional convention, a demissionary cabinet has fewer powers than a conventional cabinet. The main aim of a demissionary cabinet is to organise elections and take care of ongoing business until the new cabinet comes into power. Thus, besides organising elections, it can only take care of urgent and pressing matters and not initiate controversial legislation. The States General decide which affairs are urgent and pressing, and which are deemed controversial. It is a custom (which is not always followed) that the opinion of minority parties is taken into account for these decisions.

A demissionary cabinet takes care of policy during elections and cabinet formation. This is relevant as the formation process can take, in comparative terms, a very long time. An example of a very long-lasting caretaker government was the cabinet Den Uyl between 22 March and 18 December 1977, during the formation of the cabinet Van Agt-I.

In the case of the fall of a cabinet, there are several ways in which a cabinet can be a caretaker cabinet.

1. The complete cabinet stays on post until a new cabinet is formed (e.g. all the ministers of Netherlands cabinet Kok-2 stayed on as a demissionary cabinet after the fall of the cabinet over Srebrenica).
2. Part of the cabinet stays on post until a new cabinet is formed (example: only CDA and CU ministers of Netherlands cabinet Balkenende-4 stayed on as a demissionary cabinet after the resignation of the PvdA ministers over Uruzgan).
3. An official minority cabinet (not having demissionary status) is formed after the breaking up of a cabinet. Such a minority caretaker cabinet has as primary task to organise elections. Yet it has much more authority in proposing new law and suggestion policy compared to a demissionary cabinet. The new cabinet is seen as a successor rather than the continuation of the fallen cabinet (example Netherlands cabinet Balkenende-3 followed up on Netherlands cabinet Balkenende-2).

See also

• Rump cabinet

v t e Government of the Netherlands   Structure and process Structure Government Monarch and the Ministers, including Ministers without Portfolio Council of Ministers Ministers, including Ministers without Portfolio, chaired by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and one or more Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands Cabinet (list) Ministers, including Ministers without Portfolio and State Secretaries Formations 2003 2006/2007 2010 2012 Process Demissionary cabinet Dutch cabinet formation   Current ministries General Affairs Interior and Kingdom Relations Foreign Affairs Finance Security and Justice Economic Affairs Defence Health, Welfare and Sport Education, Culture and Science Infrastructure and the Environment Social Affairs and Employment   Cabinets Schimmelpenninck De Kempenaer-Donker Curtius Thorbecke I Van Hall-Donker Curtius Van der Brugghen Rochussen Van Hall-Van Heemstra Van Zuylen van Nijevelt-Van Heemstra Thorbecke II Fransen van de Putte Van Zuylen van Nijevelt Van Bosse-Fock Thorbecke III De Vries-Fransen van de Putte Heemskerk-Van Lynden van Sandenburg Kappeyne van de Coppello Van Lynden van Sandenburg Heemskerk Azn. Mackay Van Tienhoven Röell Pierson Kuyper De Meester Heemskerk Cort van der Linden Ruijs de Beerenbrouck I Ruijs de Beerenbrouck II Colijn I De Geer I Ruijs de Beerenbrouck III Colijn II Colijn III Colijn IV Colijn V De Geer II Gerbrandy I Gerbrandy II Gerbrandy III Schermerhorn-Drees Beel I Drees-Van Schaik Drees I Drees II Drees III Beel II De Quay Marijnen Cals Zijlstra De Jong Biesheuvel I Biesheuvel II Den Uyl Van Agt I Van Agt II Van Agt III Lubbers I Lubbers II Lubbers III Kok I Kok II Balkenende I Balkenende II Balkenende III Balkenende IV Rutte I Rutte II Portal:Politics