Cabinet of Gylias
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Gylias |
The Cabinet of Gylias (French: Cabinet gylienne) is the federal government of Gylias. It consists of 28 ministries, 2 additional cabinet positions (Deputy Prime Minister, Minister Without Portfolio), and the Prime Minister as its chair.
The cabinet convenes in weekly meetings chaired by the Prime Minister, which are recorded and made accessible to the public through the National Archives. Its functioning is regulated by the Constitution of Gylias and several other pieces of legislation, the best known of which is the Law on Cabinet Representation of 1971.
History
The cabinet originated as the Executive Committee of Gylias, established on independence. In this incarnation, it was modeled after the Executive Committee of Kirisaki and had a mainly supervisory and coordinating role, leaving governance concentrated in local communal assemblies.
The Constitution of Gylias' adoption in 1961 officially changed the Executive Committee's name to the cabinet — and that of its chair to Prime Minister.
Formation
Following a federal election, the leader of the coalition that can secure majority support in the Gylian Parliament is designated Prime Minister by the President of Gylias and asked to form a government. The members of the cabinet are chosen by the designated Prime Minister after negotiations and consultations. They are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. The resulting cabinet is subject to a motion of confidence, and affirms the oath of office:
I promise to protect and preserve the Constitution and laws, and always serve the general interest and welfare of Gylians.
Cabinet appointments are regulated by the Law on Cabinet Representation of 1971, which requires prospective ministers to have qualifications and previous experience in the field of the specific portfolios they are appointed to. Together with the strong precedent of stability set by the Darnan Cyras government, Gylian governments have generally been characterised by an avoidance of deliberate cabinet reshuffles. Ministers are expected to serve their entire term once appointed, unless they resign for health or personal reasons.
By convention, all cabinets include one independent minister without portfolio, generally a professionally trained and senior civil servant, who is responsible for maintaining relations between the cabinet and the administrative agencies.
Functioning
The cabinet mainly operates through weekly meetings. In these meetings, important topics are discussed at length, documents and reports are examined, and decisions are voted upon to present to Parliament. The Prime Minister chairs the meetings and sets the agenda. Their main contribution comes from their role in consulting with the people and local and regional governments over matters of national importance and decisions to be made.
Cabinet meetings are always recorded through an internal taping system, with their recordings and transcripts being stored in the National Archives.
The cabinet's responsibilities are limited by Gylias' federal semi-direct democracy framework. As the federal government, the cabinet's responsibilities are determining policy in accordance with its program, exercising general guidance over the public administration, and preparing preliminary resolutions and decisions for Parliament to consider. Most of its responsibilities are shared with local and regional governments, and its primary role is coordination and management.
While the Prime Minister is recognised as the chair of the cabinet, the Kirisakian origin of the cabinet gives it the character of a collegial system, where ministers are responsible for their own departments as well as the conduct of cabinet as a whole, and have great scope and initiative in advancing proposals or policies.
Terminology
The standard terminology is to treat each cabinet constituted after an election as separate, but cabinets led by the same Prime Minister as part of the same government.
Ministries
The ministries have not changed significantly since their establishment. Current ministries are as follows:
- Ministry of Agriculture
- Ministry of Communications and Broadcasting
- Ministry of Culture
- Ministry of Defense
- Ministry of Economy
- Ministry of Education and Research
- Ministry of Energy
- Ministry of the Environment
- Ministry of Equality and Integration
- Ministry of Finance
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning
- Ministry of Interior Affairs and Public Security
- Ministry of Intelligence Services
- Ministry of Justice
- Ministry of Labour
- Ministry of Planning and Development
- Ministry of Public Works
- Ministry of Regional Coordination and Development
- Ministry of Regulation
- Ministry of Resource and Land Administration
- Ministry of Science and Technology
- Ministry of Sport
- Ministry of Social Security and Protection
- Ministry of Tourism
- Ministry of Trade and Commerce
- Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
List of Gylian cabinets
| Government | Cabinet | Term in office | Constituent parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darnan Cyras government | First Darnan Cyras Cabinet[1] | 2 January 1958 – 28 April 1958 | DCP–SP–SDP–NLP–NUP–PRRA |
| Second Darnan Cyras Cabinet[1] | 28 April 1958 – 1 February 1962 | DCP–SP–SDP–NLP–NUP–PRRA | |
| Third Darnan Cyras Cabinet | 1 February 1962 – 1 February 1969 | PA–LU–IRAM | |
| Fourth Darnan Cyras Cabinet | 1 February 1969 – 5 March 1976 | PA–LU–IRAM | |
| Aén Ďanez government | First Aén Ďanez Cabinet | 5 March 1976 – 1 February 1980 | RR–PA–IRAM |
| Second Aén Ďanez Cabinet | 1 February 1980 – 30 May 1986 | RR–PA–IRAM (until 21 March 1983) RR–IRAM (after 21 March 1983) | |
| Filomena Pinheiro government | Filomena Pinheiro National Unity Cabinet | 30 May 1986 – 1 February 1990 | PA–LU–CG–NB–GP–LSDP–IRAM |
| Mathilde Vieira government | First Mathilde Vieira Cabinet | 1 February 1990 – 1 February 1995 | LU–NAF–LND–IRAM[2] |
| Second Mathilde Vieira Cabinet | 1 February 1995 – 1 February 2000 | LU–NAF–LND–IRAM[2] | |
| Third Mathilde Vieira Cabinet | 1 February 2000 – 1 February 2004 | LU–NAF–LND–IRAM[2] | |
| Fourth Mathilde Vieira Cabinet | 1 February 2004 – 1 February 2008 | LU–NAF–LND–IRAM[2] | |
| Kaori Kawashima government | Kaori Kawashima Cabinet | 1 February 2008 – 1 February 2012 | PA–LU–IRAM |
| Toni Vallas government | First Toni Vallas Cabinet | 1 February 2012 – 1 February 2016 | PA–LU–GP–IRAM |
| Second Toni Vallas Cabinet | 1 February 2016 – present | PA–LU–GP–IRAM |
1 Officially known as the Executive Committee of Gylias until the Constitution came into effect in 1961.
2 The Mathilde Vieira cabinets were plural coalitions, including ministers from blocs and parties who were not officially part of the coalition.