What do caretaker governments take care of?
Their powers vary—and some perform virtually all the duties of permanent ones
INTERIM GOVERNMENTS are all the rage. They can be found in Afghanistan, Britain, Bulgaria, Israel and Italy. In democratic systems, administrations of this kind usually appear after an elected government has collapsed. Their task is to ensure that the seats around the cabinet table are kept warm until a new government is formed, normally after an election. Elsewhere, interim governments may be sworn in after a coup, or other violent political upheaval. What do stop-gap executives achieve?
This article appeared in the The Economist explains section of the print edition under the headline “What do caretaker governments take care of?”
From the August 13th 2022 edition
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