Posted by / Wednesday 23 November 2016 / No comments

The limitations of the Prime Minister



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.

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