While many parliamentarian systems require the parliament to hold a vote to confirm its Prime Minister (e.g. Germany, Ireland, Finland), that is not always the case. Here are some examples:
- Denmark: The monarch (Queen Margrethe II) usually appoints the MP best suited to be Prime Minister after consulting with leaders of all political parties.
- United Kingdom: The monarch (Queen Elizabeth II) usually appoints the leader of the party that won the majority of seats in the last election. The same applies to Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
- Iceland: The president appoints an MP to be Prime Minister based on the same method as Denmark.
Questions:
- In theory, could the head of state hijack the government formation process since they have a monopoly on who to nominate as Prime Minister? What's keeping them in check?
- Why do these countries still count as parliamentary democracy when the parliament doesn't get to vote for its Prime Minister during the government formation process? Shouldn't they be considered semi-presidential systems instead?