A Deputy Prime Minister or Vice Prime Minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting Prime Minister when the Prime Minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both positions are "number two" offices. The position of Deputy Prime Minister should not be confused with the Canadian office of the Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister of Canada, which is a non-political civil servant position. The states of Australia and provinces of Canada each have the analogous office of Deputy Premier.
Deputy Prime Ministers traditionally serve as acting Prime Minister when the real Prime Minister is temporarily absent or incapable of exercising his/her power. For this reason the Deputy PM is often asked to succeed to the Prime Minister's office following the PM's sudden death or unexpected resignation, although this is not necessarily constitutionally mandated.
Deputy Prime Minister is often a job that is held simultaneously with another ministry, and is usually given to one of the most senior, experienced ministers of the cabinet.
A Deputy Prime Minister may also be Deputy Leader of the governing party, or the leader of the junior party of a coalition government.
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada - currently vacant
Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China
Deputy Prime Minister of Finland
Vice-Chancellor of Germany
Deputy Prime Minister of India
Tánaiste na hÉireann (Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland)
Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
Deputy Prime Minister of Macedonia
Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
Deputy Prime Minister of Malta
Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
Deputy Prime Minister of Poland
Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand
Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
First Vice President of the Government (Spain)
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - currently vacant
First, Second and Third Deputy Prime Ministers of Uganda
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
