Transitional government

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A provisional government that is usually set up in times of political crisis is referred to as a transitional government , also provisional government or interim government . As a rule, a transitional government is not democratically legitimized . It often consists of people who seem to be trustworthy or technocrats who are trusted to carry out the tasks assigned. Its members often come from the ranks of the former opposition or are moderate representatives of the previous system. In rare cases, incumbents also rule during the transition period, such as after the peace treaty in Mozambique in 1992 .

The transitional government is to be distinguished from an executive government , which designates a government which has lost its majority in elections but remains in office until a new government is formed.

Tasks of the transitional government

The tasks of a transitional government are often very limited. It usually has to ensure that state action is possible despite a crisis situation. Its most important tasks include maintaining internal security and organizing a new election .

Transitional governments after civil wars

Transitional governments play a central role in the peace process, especially after civil wars . They are often used after the signing of peace treaties to shape the phase leading up to the first elections in the post-war period. Transitional governments after civil wars are therefore often characterized by coalitions of the conflicting parties that come together in so-called power-sharing or unitary governments . In rare cases, the United Nations as a representative of the international community takes on the role of a transitional government, for example in the United Nations interim administration for East Timor between 1999 and 2002. Due to the lack of democratic legitimation of transitional governments and especially of international administrations, they are therefore in the specialist literature also referred to as "benevolent autocrats".

Due to the special political and economic situation in post-war countries, transitional governments often have more tasks than organizing elections in these situations. In most cases, transitional governments need to reestablish control over the entire state, reform the state administration from the ground up, and begin dealing with war crimes . Particularly noteworthy here is the disarmament and demobilization of combatants , which should be promoted considerably during the term of a transitional government. Without successful demobilization of the conflicting parties, the losers in the elections would otherwise have the opportunity to use armed force to challenge the election results, as was the case after the presidential election in Angola in 1992 .

Examples of transitional governments

Historically, transitional governments are described between the time of the monarch's death and the appointment of his successor ( interregnum ). Many March governments were transitional governments.

See also

literature

  • Karen Guttieri and Jessica Piombo (Eds.): Interim Governments. Institutional Bridges to Peace and Democracy? . United States Institute of Peace Press, Washington DC 2007, ISBN 978-1-60127-018-4 .
  • Julia Strasheim and Hanne Fjelde: Pre-designing democracy: institutional design of interim governments and democratization in 15 post-conflict societies Democratization, Volume 21, Issue 2, 2014, pages 335–358.

Web links

Wiktionary: Transitional government  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Juan Linz , Yossi Shain : Between States. Interim Governments in Democratic Transitions . Cambridge University Press, Camübridge 1995, ISBN 9780521484985 .
  2. ^ Aurel Croissant : The Perils and Promises of Democratization through United Nations Transitional Authority - Lessons from Cambodia and East Timor . Democratization, Volume 15, Issue 3, 2008, pages 649-668.
  3. ^ Simon Chesterman : You, The People: The United Nations, Transitional Administration, and State-Building . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-928400-9 .
  4. ↑ Julia Strasheim: Interim Governments: Short-Lived Institutions for Long-Lasting Peace (PDF) (GIGA Focus International Edition English, 09/2014).