National unity government

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A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad

national emergency. A unity government according to the principles of consensus democracy
lacks opposition, or opposition parties are too small and negligible.

By country

Afghanistan

Following the disputed 2014 presidential elections, a National Unity Government (NUG) between both run-off candidates was formed with Ashraf Ghani as President of Afghanistan and Abdullah Abdullah in the new office of Chief Executive of Afghanistan.[1] This power-sharing agreement broke apart after the 2019 Afghan presidential election, after which Ghani abolished the office of Chief Executive while Abdullah again refused to recognize Ghani's presidency and demanded the formation of a new government in northern Afghanistan. Both politicians lost power after the Taliban won the Afghanistan War and recaptured the country.

Canada

During World War I, the

Conscription crisis of 1917. The Liberals, led by Sir Wilfrid Laurier refused; however, Borden was able to convince many individual Liberals to join what was called a Union Government, which defeated the Laurier Liberals in the fall 1917 election
.

During

National Government in the 1940 election as a means of promoting their platform of creating a wartime national government coalition (evocative of the previous war's Union government). The party was not successful in the election, which re-elected the Liberal government of William Lyon Mackenzie King, whose party continued to rule alone for the duration of World War II
.

Newfoundland

The

Edward Patrick Morris
.

Croatia

Croatia formed a national unity government in 1991 under prime minister Franjo Gregurić in response to the outbreak of the Croatian War of Independence. Even though the cabinet included ministers from minority parties, all heads of ministries were either from the majority Croatian Democratic Union or soon defected to it.

Estonia

1924 coup d'état attempt by the Communist Party of Estonia
(Jaakson cabinet).

Greece

A national unity government in Greece is often called ecumenical government:

Hungary

There are five periods in Hungary when national unity governments emerged:

Ireland

A national unity government, following the failure of government formation after the

32nd government of Ireland.[6]

Israel

attacks of October 2023
, the National Unity party became part of an Israeli war cabinet.[7]

Italy

Further information:
Grand coalition (Italy)

In the

republican era, the first two cabinets, led by Alcide De Gasperi, were supported by all three of the following parties, the pro-American Christian Democrats and the pro-Soviet Italian Communist Party and Italian Socialist Party
.

Afterwards, the first government generally recognised as a national unity government was the

following cabinet, still led by Giulio Andreotti
.

During the

Letta Cabinet, which, however, was opposed by a new major political force in parliament, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement
.

The

Draghi Cabinet, formed during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis, has been described as a national unity government.[8] It comprises a mixture of independent experts as well as politicians from most of Italy's political parties: the Five Star Movement, Democratic Party, League, Forza Italia, Italia Viva, and Free and Equal.[9]

The following is a list of national unity or grand coalition governments:

  • De Gasperi II Cabinet
    (14 July 1946 – 2 February 1947)
  • De Gasperi III Cabinet
    (2 February 1947 – 1 June 1947)
  • Andreotti III Cabinet
    (29 July 1976 – 11 March 1978)
  • Andreotti IV Cabinet
    (11 March 1978 – 20 March 1979)
  • Ciampi Cabinet
    (28 April 1993 – 10 May 1994) – Note: grand coalition support lasted only until 4 May 1993
  • Monti Cabinet
    (16 November 2011 – 28 April 2013)
  • Letta Cabinet
    (28 April 2013 – 22 February 2014) – Note: grand coalition support lasted only until 15 November 2013
  • Draghi Cabinet
    (13 February 2021 – 22 October 2022)

Kenya

From 2008 to 2013, Kenya was governed by

National Assembly
, but controversially losing the presidential election by a margin that has since been called into question for its validity.

Lebanon

Since Lebanon is a multireligious state and consensus democracy, having a national unity government is more favorable in this country. Unlike other democracies, no group in Lebanon can govern alone.

Libya

Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, selected as Prime Minister of Libya by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) on 5 February 2021,[10] is required under the agreements made by the LPDF to nominate a cabinet of ministers to the House of Representatives (HoR) by 26 February 2021, establishing the Government of National Unity (Libya).[11]

Luxembourg

Chamber of Deputies
, but lasted for only sixteen months.

confidence
of the legislature.

In addition, Luxembourg had a

Liberation Government between November 1944 and November 1945, also under Dupong. It served a similar emergency role to a national government, but included only the two largest parties, the CSV and the LSAP
.

Myanmar

Main article: National Unity Government of Myanmar

After the

2021 Myanmar coup, on 16 April 2021, the exiled Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) announced the formation of a National Unity Government (Burmese
: အမျိုးသား ညီညွတ်ရေး အစိုးရ), pursuant to the Federal Democracy Charter released on 31 March 2021. The National Unity Government re-introduced the position of Prime Minister, and consists of CRPH members and other ethnic leaders.

Namibia

Main article: Transitional Government of National Unity (Namibia)

Nepal

Following the devastating April 2015 Nepal earthquake, top political parties in Nepal have decided to form a national unity government in order to handle the crisis and draft a constitution that's been long overdue. The major political parties and unified political fronts have agreed to settle the disputed issues of the constitution drafting process by 3 June and to form a national unity government.[12]

Palestine

Main article:
Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014

The Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014 was a national unity government of the Palestinian National Authority under Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formed on 2 June 2014 following the Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Agreement that had been signed on 23 April 2014. The ministers were nominally independent, but overwhelmingly seen as loyal to President Abbas and his Fatah movement or to smaller leftist factions, none of whom were believed to have close ties to Hamas. However, the Unity Government was not approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council, leading to its legitimacy being questioned. The Unity Government dissolved on 17 June 2015 after President Abbas said it was unable to operate in the Gaza Strip.

Portugal

A national unity government (known as the Sacred Union Government; Port.: Governo da União Sagrada) was in place during the first year of Portuguese participation in World War I, led by the Evolutionist Party president António José de Almeida from March 15, 1916 to April 25, 1917, and with the participation of the Democratic Party of Afonso Costa.

Rwanda

After

authoritarian.[13][14] Elections are manipulated in various ways including banning opposition parties, arresting or assassinating critics, and electoral fraud.[15]

South Africa

The

Government of National Unity. The new government that was elected in the 1994 general election therefore had members from many political parties in the cabinet. This government of national unity lasted until the 1999 general election, although it was dominated by the African National Congress and a reported lack of shared decision-making prompted the second-largest party, the National Party
, to withdraw from the GNU in 1996.

Sri Lanka

Following the fall of the

Ranil Wickramasinghe.[16]

Sweden

Main article:
Hansson III Cabinet

Sweden has only had one national unity government; The

Hansson III Cabinet during World War II. The government was made up of all parties in the parliament except the Communist party which was considered to be pro-Soviet and hence unreliable. The government consisted of six ministers from the Social Democratic party (including prime minister Per Albin Hansson), three from the Right Wing party, three from the Liberal People's party, three from the Farmer's League and two nonpartisan politicians. The ultimate goal of this government's policy was to keep Sweden out of the war, which they also succeeded with. The Hansson government introduced censorship
of press, literature and culture, which was applied to both pro-nazi and pro-communist propaganda. The government also approved departures from the neutrality policy to keep Sweden out of the war.

United Kingdom

Main article: National Government (United Kingdom)

First-past-the-post voting, the British electoral system, has long increased the likelihood of a single party gaining a majority of Members of Parliament, who have run most departments and the government legislation of the country since the early 20th century.

After the formation of clear political parties in the Lords and Commons, the first national unity government came in response to the

Whigs (among them Charles James Fox and the Foxites as well as Grenvillites), selected for their combined broad political support in both Houses of Parliament and known capabilities in a time of crisis. However, the ministry was frustrated in its attempts to make peace with the First French Empire, and despite one major legislative success (the Slave Trade Act 1807 banning the Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire), it fell apart in 1807 over the question of Catholic Emancipation and was replaced following a general election by a Tory ministry led by the Duke of Portland
.

The world wars and the long recovery to the Great Depression would be the only further instances of National Governments. The next major government representing all parties came during World War II after the Norway Debate, in which Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and his cabinet were condemned for their handling of the war and faced a vote of no confidence in which members of his own party voted with the Opposition against him. The debate also revealed that Winston Churchill, an early opponent of Nazi Germany and appeasement, would be the only Conservative minister under which both Labour and Conservative MPs would join a government. Churchill agreed to form a new government after Chamberlain resigned. The subsequent Churchill war ministry included Churchill as Prime Minister, Labour Party Leader Clement Attlee as Deputy Prime Minister, and Conservative Party Leader Chamberlain as Lord President of the Council.[18][19]

Quasi-national governments

After 10 years of rule by the Liberal Party, Prime Minister H. H. Asquith agreed to form a new coalition ministry with the Conservative Party in response to World War I in 1915. However, the government remained dominated by the Liberals with few Conservatives in important Cabinet posts. Asquith resigned as Conservatives refused to serve in his government in 1916, and David Lloyd George and Conservative Party Leader Bonar Law formed a new coalition government from Conservatives and a minority of Liberals opposed to Asquith's handling of the war, which was opposed by Asquith's Liberals. In the 1918 general election held after the end of the war, Coalition-endorsed candidates won a large majority. Thereafter a coalition that faced few opposition MPs under David Lloyd George lasted until 1922 when his National Liberal Party formally split with the Liberal Party.[20]

During the

general election of 1945
.

In 2019, the idea of a government of National Unity was proposed by politicians including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson to stop a no-deal Brexit spearheaded by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.[21]

Northern Ireland

The

Belfast Agreement, which sets out the workings of the Northern Ireland Assembly, effectively enforces all-party governments in Northern Ireland.[22][23] All governments formed since the foundation of the Northern Ireland Executive in 1999 have contained ministers from the five main parties (Sinn Féin, Democratic Unionist Party, Ulster Unionist Party, Social Democratic and Labour Party and Alliance), with seats allocated using the d'Hondt method.[24][25][26]

United States

In hopes of bridging partisan politics during the American Civil War, Republican Abraham Lincoln ran for his second term under the new National Union Party with Democrat Andrew Johnson as his running mate. The National Union Party allowed members to retain affiliations with other political parties.

Since the Civil War, there has never been a "national unity" government in the United States in the traditional sense. There have been several instances, however, during national disasters or wars, that the two parties have briefly "rallied around the President". Such instances include the attack on Pearl Harbor, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the September 11 attacks, all of which not only had a worldwide effect, but preceded a massive spike in the approval rating of the sitting president.[27]

Zimbabwe

Main articles:
2008 Zimbabwean political negotiations and Zimbabwe Government of National Unity of 2009

The 2008–2009 Zimbabwean political negotiations between the opposition

House of Assembly
. The new national unity government, including Tsvangirai, was sworn in on 11 February 2009.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The 'National Unity Government' (NUG) deal (full text)". Afghanistan Analysts Network - English. 20 September 2014.
  2. ^ Ryan, Eamon. "Eamon Ryan: Why we need a national unity government". The Irish Times.
  3. ^ McGee, Harry. "Labour TD says party should consider taking part in government". The Irish Times.
  4. ^ Leahy, Pat. "Pat Leahy: Five reasons a government of national unity is a bad idea". The Irish Times.
  5. ^ Cuffe, Ciarán (26 March 2020). "Opinion: We need a national unity government immediately to battle Covid-19". TheJournal.ie.
  6. RTÉ News and Current Affairs
    . 26 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Lawmakers approve new emergency cabinet, after Jewish and Arab MKs spar in plenum". 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  8. ^ Governo Draghi, Berlusconi: «Governo di unità nazionale, non nascerà una maggioranza politica», Corriere della Sera
  9. ^ Horicka, Martin (22 February 2021). "Populists, Super Mario, and Italy's Last Hope". The National Interest. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  10. ^ Zaptia, Sami (5 February 2021). "BREAKING: New unified Libyan government selected by LPDF in Geneva". Libya Herald. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  11. ^ Zaptia, Sami (15 February 2021). "Aldabaiba and Menfi continue to hold meetings ahead of government formation and approval by parliament". Libya Herald. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Top parties agree to form national unity govt". setopati.net. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015.
  13. S2CID 154910536
    .
  14. S2CID 143013060
    .
  15. ISBN 978-1-78360-248-3
    .
  16. ^ Ratnayake, K. (25 March 2015). "Sri Lankan president forms a "national government"". www.wsws.org.
  17. ISBN 978-1-84595-091-0
    .
  18. ^ "Two days in the Commons Chamber that took Churchill to No.10: the Norway Debate of May 1940". www.hansardsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Winston Churchill - Leadership during World War II | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  20. ^ Campbell 2010, p. 153-179.
  21. ^ Colson, Thomas; Payne, Adam. "Remainer MPs are plotting to bring down Boris Johnson's government, install a 'unity' prime minister, and delay Brexit". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  22. ^ "CAIN: Politics: New Ulster Movement (1971) 'The Reform of Stormont'". cain.ulster.ac.uk.
  23. ^ says, Jane Morrice (27 September 2019). "Governing without ministers: Northern Ireland power-sharing should be a priority for the UK government".
  24. ^ McBride, Sam. "Silos, secrecy and quiet deals: How dysfunction became Stormont's norm". The Irish Times.
  25. ^ "The benefits of an official Opposition and the rush to claim the title". Slugger O'Toole. 24 May 2023.
  26. ^ "Sam McBride: Alliance tells its members it wants to end mandatory coalition (and four other things we learned this week)". www.newsletter.co.uk. 19 November 2020.
  27. ^ "United in Remembrance, Divided over Policies". Pew Research Center. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
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