Prime Minister of Calaré

The Taoiseach of Calaré or Prime Minister of Calaré is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of Cabinet and head of government, holding office on commission from the King of Calaré. The office of Taoiseach is, in practice, the most powerful political office in Calaré. Despite being at the apex of executive government in the country, the office is not mentioned in the Constitution of Calaré and it exists through an unwritten political convention.

The word means "chief" in the Irish language. The earliest known use of the term is from a 5th- or 6th-century ogham inscription in both the Gaelic and Brittonic languages.

By convention, the Taoiseach is the leader of the political party or coalition with majority support in the Dáil Calaréann. However, there is no requirement that the Taoiseach sit in the Dáil, or even be a member of the Oireachtas.

The current current Taoiseach is Nathan Rush, TD, the leader of the Social Democratic Labour Party, after the SDLP defeated the Coalition formed by the National Party and Calaréann Alliance Party at the 2009 general election.

Appointment
The Taoiseach of Calaré is appointed by the King of Calaré under Section §58 of the Calaréann Constitution. This empowers the King to appoint ministers of the Crown and requires such ministers to be members of the Dáil Calaréann or the Seanad, or become members within three months of the appointment. Before being sworn in as a minister, a person must first be sworn in as a member of the Executive Council if they are not already a member. Membership of the Executive Council entitles the member to the style of The Honourable (usually abbreviated to The Hon.) for life, barring exceptional circumstances. The senior members of the Executive Council constitute the Cabinet of Calaré.

Under the Constitution of Calaré, the Taoiseach must be appointed from among the members of Dáil Calaréann. He is nominated by a simple majority of the house's members, and formally appointed to office by the King. Since the King is required to appoint whomever the Dáil nominates without the right to decline appointment, it is often said that the Taoiseach is "elected" by the Dáil.

In the event that the Taoiseach loses the support of a majority in Dáil Calaréann, he is not automatically removed from office but, rather, is compelled to either resign or persuade the King to dissolve the Dáil. The King may refuse to grant a dissolution and, in effect, force the Taoiseach to resign, but, to date, the King has not exercised this prerogative. The Taoiseach may lose the support of Dáil Calaréann by the passage of a vote of no confidence, the failure of a vote of confidence or, alternatively, the Dáil may refuse supply. In the event of the Taoiseach's resignation, he continues to exercise the duties and functions of his office until the appointment of a successor.

The Taoiseach nominates the remaining members of the Government, who are then, appointed by the King. The Taoiseach also has authority to advise the King to dismiss cabinet ministers from office, advice the King is required to follow by convention.

The Taoiseach is, like other ministers, normally sworn in by the King and then presented with the commission (Letters patent) of office. When defeated in an election, or on resigning, the Taoiseach is said to "hand in the commission" and actually does so by returning it to the King. In the event of a Taoiseach dying in office, or becoming incapacitated, the King can terminate the commission. Ministers hold office "during the pleasure of the King" (s. 58 of the Constitution of Calaré), so theoretically, the King can dismiss a minister at any time, by notifying them in writing of the termination of their commission; however, his or her power to do so except on the advice of the Taoiseach is heavily circumscribed by convention.

Despite the importance of the office of Taoiseach, the Constitution does not mention the office by name. The conventions of the Westminster system were thought to be sufficiently entrenched in Calaré by the authors of the Constitution that it was deemed unnecessary to detail them.

If a government cannot get its appropriation (budget) legislation passed by the Dáil Calaréann, or the Dáil passes a vote of "no confidence" in the government, the Taoiseach is bound by convention to resign immediately. The King's choice of replacement Taoiseach will be dictated by the circumstances.

Following a resignation in other circumstances, or the death of a Taoiseach, the King will generally appoint as Taoiseach the person voted by the governing party as their new leader.

The Department of Taoiseach and Cabinet is the government department which supports and advises the Taoiseach in carrying out his various duties.