Premier of Belmonte

Premier of Belmonte
Premiê de Belmonte
Coat of arms of Belmonte
Flag of Belmonte
Incumbent Graça Fonseca since 05 May 2020
Government of Belmonte National Congress of Belmonte Premier's Office Cabinet Office
Style	Premier (informal) His/Her Excellency (formal and international)
Status	Head of government
Member of	Chamber of Deputies · Cabinet · State Council · National Defence Council
Reports to	President and the National Congress
Residence	Bensafrim House
Seat	Castelonovo
Nominator	Political parties
Appointer	The President The president appoints the leader of the party with the majority of seats in Congress.
Term length	No term limits As long as the premier has parliamentary support.
Constituting instrument	Constitution
Formation	18 October 1836
First holder	Gen Augusto Cintra
Salary	$24,951
Website	wwww.belmonte.gov.be

The Premier of Belmonte (Iustian: Premiê de Belmonte), officially the President of the Council of Ministers of the United Republic of Belmonte (Iustian: Presidente do Conselho de Ministros da República Unida de Belmonte), is the head of government of Belmonte. The premier leads both the executive and legislative through the Council of Ministers, being accountable to the Presidency, the National Congress and their political parties.

The office of premier was officially created after the Belmontese Revolution in 1836 as one of the provisions of the new Belmontese political system agreed in the Riachuelo Agreement to avoid a stronger presidency, with General Augusto Cintra becoming the first holder of the office. Initially under a primus inter pares system, the premiership would be rotated between the liberals and conservatives for its first years until the agreement was broken in 1909, leading to long-term political instability and short-lived governments. After the National Renovation Coup and the 20-year dictatorship of João Berquó that succeeded the junta, the office would be abolished and replaced by the advisory title of chief of staff until Berquó's fall in the Great War. The establishment of the New Republic and the 1936 constitution created a presidential-like premiership, which still is in use up to modern times.

The premier is appointed by the president after general elections or after the resignation or incapacitation of the former incumbent of the office, being the leader of the party with the biggest number of seats in both houses of congress. It’s the responsibility of the premier of lead the country through the cabinet and represent the country at the world stage whilst being accountable to the president and the parliament. Besides being a member of the cabinet, the premier is also a member of the State Council and the National Defence Council.

Several privileges are given to the incumbent occupants of the office, such as an official residence at Bensafrim House.

Given its importance in domestic and regional policies and decision-making, many specialists regard the Belmontese premiership as one of the most important roles in the Asterian continent.

Naming conventions

Augusto Cintra was the first premier of Belmonte.

Júlio Lobato was the first premier of the New Republic.

According to the constitution, the premier's official title is President of the Council of Ministers (Iustian: Presidente do Conselho de Ministros), often shortened to President of the Council at formal correspondence. However, the unofficial term Premier (Premiê) always has been more used in the entirety of its history, with other less used variations being prime minister, state minister or president of the government.

History

Main article: History of Belmonte

After the liberal victory at the Federalist Revolt in 1792, the old confederal system of government was replaced by a federal presidential republic with the president himself receiving a large number of powers. Over the years, more powers would be concentrated around the presidency whilst congress became more of an advisory council which, alongside further crackdowns against conservative groups, made Belmonte a one-party state. Years of liberal violence against political oppositions would lead to the 1828 Coup, where the armed forces overthrew president Plínio Veríssimo and gave power to conservative politician Joaquim Durão. Durão would abolish both the constitution and congress, ruling as a dictator until his removal by force through the Belmontese Revolution in 1836.

General Augusto Cintra, a moderate conservative and one of the perpetrators of the revolution, arranged a meeting between liberals and conservatives to create long-term stability for the new Second Republic. This agreement, known as the Riachuelo Agreement, established an oligarchic parliamentary republic in which the presidency would be rotated between both groups while the newly created office of premier would be elected by the parliament. After the creation of the premiership, Cintra became its first holder.

In 1909, the Liberal Party was dissolved and the Riachuelo Agreement broken, causing a severe political crisis which led to the National Renovation Coup and the creation of a provisional military junta. After a rigged election, the junta would give powers to right-wing nationalist João Berquó. During his dictatorship, Berquó abolished the premiership and replaced it with the office of chief of staff (Ministro-Chefe da Casa Civil), a mostly advisory post whose only function was to coordinate other ministries.

The end of the Great War led to the armed forces overthrowing Berquó and establishing the current republic. Under the 1936 constitution, the present-day version of the premiership was established, with premiers receiving presidential-like powers. The first democratic elections would be held, and Júlio Lobato would become the first democratically elected premier. In 2015, Rita Maurino became the first woman to be elected into the office, being succeeded by another woman - her former foreign secretary Graça Fonseca - in 2020.

Appointment and removal

Former premiers Jorge Castelo (left), Oswaldo Borges (middle) and Paulo Gaertner (right) at an economic conference in Castelonovo in 2007.

The premier is appointed by the president after general elections or after the resignation or incapacitation of the former occupant of the office. The leader of the party that has support from the majority of congress, either through having most seats in both chambers or through a coalition with other parties, is appointed to the premiership, although this isn't an official rule: there have been cases in history where the president appointed other politicians to the office. If the incumbent resigns or is incapacitated, he could ask the president to appoint a successor of his own choice or ask to dissolve congress and declare new general elections, with the president having the power to accept or decline both options.

By law, the premier must come from congress. Despite there is no law that prohibits the nomination of a senator to the premiership, all presidents from 1935 picked someone from the lower house of parliament.

The premier's term of office is the same as congress, which is five years according to the law. Although the constitution says that a general election must happen at least every five years, the president could dissolve the parliament and declare earlier elections at his will, but every time this was done it was done with parliamentary approval or after being asked by the premier.

Parliamentary confidence

In order to govern, the premier and the cabinet need the confidence of both houses of congress, either through having a majority of seats or through a coalition government with other political parties. If the incumbent premier fails to accomplish one of these necessary requirements, the president could appoint someone with enough parliamentary support or, after asked by the premier, appoint a successor or declare new general elections.

Role and powers

As a parliamentary republic, the premier is the head of government and head of the executive.

Executive powers

The cabinet room of Aranha Building, where the premier and the cabinet meets every week.

The premier is responsible for leading and forming his cabinet as long as its members are drawn up from congress, more specifically from the chamber of deputies. Although theoretically under a primus inter pares system, where every cabinet member has equal power among government decision, this power, in fact, relies on the premiership itself, with the premier being able to overturn every cabinet decision as well as appoint and dismiss ministers every time through cabinet reshuffles. This trend was established in the current constitution of 1936, which gave presidential-like powers to the premier in contrast to the soft power that the office had during the Second Republic. However, each premier has a different policy regarding how to treat cabinet ministers and affairs, with some opting for a more cohesive and harmonious way of governing while others preferring a more dominant and authoritarian approach.

Premier Rosa answering questions from congress, 2009.

Legislative powers

The premier is responsible for creating and sending to the parliament annual budgets, drafts and government bills for review and approval. Also, the premier needs to attend the weekly premier's Questions, in which the premier answers the questions of deputies regarding the government and its actions.

Deputy

The deputy premier isn't an established office set by the constitution, but more of a convention among premiers to appoint a possible successor after his retirement or incapacitation. Currently, the office is more used among coalition governments, with the leader of the junior coalition party generally being given this post along with another portfolio, such as foreign secretary or finances secretary.

Style of address

The formal and diplomatic style of address used to designate the premier is Excellency, a title that also is used to the former occupant of the office. However, the term premier itself is also used informally.

Benefits

Bensafrim House, the premier's official residence.

Residence

Since 1863, the premier's official residence is the Bensafrim House, which is, alongside other government buildings, situated in the Républica borough in central Castelonovo. Before its construction, most premiers lived in their own homes whilst working and meeting with their cabinet at Pinhais’ House, also located in the capital, which was demolished in order to allow the construction of the current residence. However, since the construction of the Aranha Building in the 60s, many premiers, although not all of them, opted to live in the house and work in the building.

Salary

Currently, the salary of the premier is $24,951 per month. Besides, the premier also receives his salary of deputy throughout his term.

List

Main article: List of heads of government of Belmonte

Living former premiers

There are three living former Belmontese premiers:

• 

  Paulo Gaertner
  (2000-2003)

• 

  Ludovico Rosa
  (2005-2015)

• 

  Rita Maurino
  (2015-2020)

See also

List of Belmontese premiers Government of Belmonte

National Congress of Belmonte Cabinet of Belmonte