Head of Government

The head of government is the official who leads the executive branch of a state, sets policy priorities, manages the cabinet, and oversees the civil service. The exact title varies by system: Prime Minister in the United Kingdom, Canada, India, and Japan; Chancellor in Germany and Austria; Taoiseach in Ireland; President of the Government in Spain; and Premier in China.

In parliamentary systems, the head of government is typically the leader of the majority party or coalition in the legislature and is formally appointed by the head of state. They remain in office as long as they retain the confidence of parliament and can be removed through a vote of no confidence. The head of state in these systems — a monarch or a largely ceremonial president — is a separate person.

In presidential systems such as the United States, Brazil, and Mexico, the offices of head of state and head of government are fused: the directly elected president performs both roles. In semi-presidential systems like France or Russia, executive power is shared between a president (head of state) and a prime minister (head of government), with the balance between them shaped by constitutional rules and which party controls the legislature — France's experience of cohabitation is a well-known example.

Heads of government typically:

• Chair the cabinet and coordinate ministries
• Represent the state in major intergovernmental forums such as the G7, G20, and European Council
• Negotiate and sign treaties, subject to domestic ratification procedures
• Direct foreign and security policy alongside the head of state where the roles are separate

Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) and customary international law, heads of government enjoy personal immunity from foreign jurisdiction while in office. They are also among the officials presumed to have full powers to bind the state in treaty negotiations under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), Article 7.