Confidence and supply

2022-10-14T21:52:32Z

176.88.142.52:

{{Short description|Political arrangement allowing a minority government in parliamentary democracies}}
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{{party politics}}

In a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary democracy]] based on the [[Westminster system]], '''confidence and supply''' are required for a [[ruling party|ruling cabinet]] to retain power in the [[lower house]].

A '''confidence-and-supply agreement''' is one whereby a party or independent members of parliament will support the government in [[motion of no confidence|motions of confidence]] and [[appropriation bill|appropriation or budget (supply) votes]], by either voting in favour or abstaining. However, parties and independent members normally retain the right to otherwise vote in favour of their own policies or on [[Conscience vote|conscience]] on [[bill (law)|legislative bills]].<ref>James Cook, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/scotland/8668008.stm Governments, coalitions and border politics], ''[[BBC News]]'', 7 May 2010</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/why-the-pm-is-safe-in-no-10-for-the-moment-1968190.html Why the PM is safe in No 10 for the moment], ''[[The Independent]]'', 8 May 2010</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/IfG%20Insight%20Confidence%20and%20Supply%20final.pdf|title = StackPath}}</ref>

A [[coalition government]] is a more formal arrangement than a confidence-and-supply agreement, in that members from junior parties (i.e., parties other than the largest) gain positions in the [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]] and [[Minister (government)|ministerial roles]], and may be expected to hold the government [[Whip (politics)|whip]] on passing legislation.

==Confidence==
{{Main|Motion of no confidence}}

In most parliamentary democracies, members of a parliament can propose a motion of confidence<ref>Otherwise, when it is proposed by the Government itself upon a piece of legislation, "the Chambers are enslaved in the exercise of their principal function just because it was thought that their being master of the fiduciary relationship were to be reaffirmed on each bill": {{cite journal|last1=Argondizzo|first1=Domenico|last2=Buonomo|first2=Giampiero|title=Spigolature intorno all'attuale bicameralismo e proposte per quello futuro|website=Mondoperaio.net|url=https://www.questia.com/projects#!/project/89210301|access-date=14 March 2016|archive-date=1 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801002834/http://www.questia.com/projects#!/project/89210301|url-status=dead}}</ref> or of no confidence in the government or executive. The results of such motions show how much support the government currently has in parliament. Should a motion of confidence fail, or a motion of no confidence pass, the government will usually either resign and allow other politicians to form a new government, or call an election.

==Supply==
{{Main|Appropriation bill|Loss of supply}}

Most parliamentary democracies require an annual state budget, an [[appropriation bill]], or occasional financial measures to be passed by parliament in order for a government to pay its way and enact its policies. The failure of a supply bill is in effect the same as the failure of a confidence motion. In early modern England, the withholding of funds was one of [[Parliament of England|Parliament]]'s few ways of controlling the [[list of English monarchs|monarch]].

==List of governments currently under a confidence-and-supply agreement==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! rowspan="2" |Country
! rowspan="2" |Head of government
! rowspan="2" |Governing parties
! rowspan="2" |Confidence partners
! colspan="5" |Seats
|-
! colspan="2" |Government
!Support
! colspan="2" |Total

|-
|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Canada]]
|[[Justin Trudeau]]
|[[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
|[[New Democratic Party|NDP]]
|'''158'''
|46.7%
|25
|183/338
|'''54.1%'''

|-
|{{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Croatia]]
|[[Andrej Plenković]]
|[[Croatian Democratic Union|HDZ]] – [[Independent Democratic Serb Party|SDSS]]
|[[Croatian Social Liberal Party|HSLS]] – [[Croatian People's Party – Liberal Democrats|HNS-LD]] – [[Croatian Demochristian Party|HDS]] – Ind.
|'''65'''
|43.0%
|11
|76/151
|'''50.3%'''
|-
|{{flag|Poland}}
|[[Mateusz Morawiecki]]
|[[Law and Justice|PiS]] – [[United Poland|SP]] – [[The Republicans (Poland)|R]]
|[[Polish Affairs|PS]] – Ind.
|'''229'''
|49.8%
|7
|236/460
|'''51.3%'''

|-
|{{flagicon|Spain}} [[Spain]]
|[[Pedro Sánchez]]
|[[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|PSOE]] – [[United Podemos|UP]]
|[[Republican Left of Catalonia–Sovereigntists|ERC–Sobiranistes]] – [[Basque Nationalist Party|PNV]] – [[EH Bildu]]
|'''155'''
|44.3%
|34
|189/350
|'''54.0%'''

|-
|{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Sweden]]
|[[Ulf Kristersson]]
|[[Moderate Party|M]] – [[Christian Democrats (Sweden)|KD]] – [[Liberals (Sweden)|L]]
|[[Sweden Democrats|SD]]
|'''103'''
|29.5%
|73
|176/349
|'''50.4%'''

|-
|colspan="8"|'''Sub-national'''

|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}} {{flag|Asturias}}
|[[Adrián Barbón]]
|[[Asturian Socialist Federation|FSA-PSOE]]
|[[United Left of Asturias|IU/IX]] – [[Asturian Left|IAS]]
|'''19'''
|42.2%
|4
|23/45
|'''51.1%'''

|-
|{{flagicon|POR}} {{flag|Azores}}
|[[José Manuel Bolieiro]]
|[[Social Democratic Party (Portugal)|PPD/PSD]] – [[CDS – People's Party|CDS-PP]] - [[People's Monarchist Party (Portugal)|PPM]]
|[[Chega (political party)|Chega]] – [[Liberal Initiative|IL]]
|'''26'''
|45.6%
|3
|29/57
|'''50.9%'''

|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}} {{flag|Balearic Islands}}
|[[Marga Prohens]]
|[[People's Party of the Balearic Islands|PP]]
|[[Vox (political party)|Vox]]
|'''25'''
|42.3%
|9
|34/59
|'''57.6%'''

|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}} {{flag|Murcia}}
|[[Fernando López Miras]]
|[[People's Party of the Region of Murcia|PP]]
|[[Vox (political party)|Vox]]
|'''21'''
|46.6%
|9
|30/45
|'''66.6%'''

|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}} {{flag|Navarre}}
|[[María Chivite]]
|[[Socialist Party of Navarre|PSN]] – [[Geroa Bai|GBai]] – [[Podemos (Spanish political party)|Podemos]]
|[[Izquierda-Ezkerra|I-E]]
|'''21'''
|42.0%
|9
|30/50
|'''60.0%'''

|-
|{{flagicon|GER}} {{flag|Thuringia}}
|[[Bodo Ramelow]]
|[[The Left (Germany)|LINKE]] – [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]] – [[Alliance 90/The Greens|Grüne]]
|[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]
|'''42'''
|46.7%
|21
|63/90
|'''70.0%'''

|-
|{{flagicon|Canada}} {{flagicon|Yukon}} [[Yukon]]
| [[Ranj Pillai]]
| [[Yukon Liberal Party|Liberal]]
| [[Yukon New Democratic Party|NDP]]
|'''8'''
|42.1%
|3
|11/19
|'''57.9%'''

|}

==Examples of confidence-and-supply deals==

===Australia===
{{Main|Gillard government#Minority government}}
The [[Australian Labor Party]] [[Gillard government]] formed a [[minority government]] in the [[hung parliament]] elected at the [[2010 Australian federal election|2010 federal election]] resulting from a confidence-and-supply agreement with three [[Independent politicians in Australia|independent]] MPs and one [[Australian Greens|Green]] MP.<ref name="Rodgers">{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/07/3005028.htm |title=Labor clings to power |first=Emma |last=Rodgers |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |work=ABC News Online }}</ref>

===Canada===
====Federal====
In November 2008, the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] and the [[New Democratic Party]] (NDP) reached an agreement to form a minority coalition government, with the [[Bloc Québécois]] having signed a confidence agreement to support the proposed coalition. However, the proposed coalition and confidence agreement fell apart in January 2009, as a result of an ensuing [[2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute|parliamentary dispute]].<ref>{{cite web|website=www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk|url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/IfG%20Insight%20Confidence%20and%20Supply%20final.pdf|page=2|title=Supplying confidence|last1=Paun|first1=Akash|last2=Hibben|first2=Ashley|publisher=Institute for Government|access-date=5 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/liberals-ndp-bloc-sign-deal-on-proposed-coalition-1.700119|title=Liberals, NDP, Bloc sign deal on proposed coalition|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=5 June 2022|website=www.cbc.ca}}</ref>

In 2022, a few months into the [[44th Canadian Parliament]], the NDP agreed to a confidence-and-supply agreement with the governing Liberal Party, to continue the [[29th Canadian Ministry|Liberal minority government]]. The deal will keep the minority Liberal government in power until 2025, with the NDP agreeing to support the government on confidence motions and budget votes. In exchange, the Liberal government is understood to have pledged to advance work on key NDP policy priorities on dental care, pharmaceutical drugs, and affordable childcare.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/03/22/news/liberals-ndp-strike-tentative-deal-keep-government-power-until-2025-reports|title=Liberals, NDP strike tentative deal to keep government in power until 2025: reports|newspaper=Canada's National Observer|access-date=2 June 2022}}</ref>

====British Columbia====
After the [[2017 British Columbia general election|2017 British Columbia provincial election]], the [[Green Party of British Columbia]] agreed to a confidence-and-supply agreement in support of the [[British Columbia New Democratic Party]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/lieutenant-governor-invites-horgan-to-take-over-rejects-another-election-1.20839483|title=Lieutenant-governor invites Horgan to take over, rejects another election |last=Kines|first=Lindsay|work=[[Times Colonist]]|access-date=1 July 2017}}</ref> The incumbent [[British Columbia Liberal Party]], which held a plurality of seats, briefly tried to form a government, but was immediately defeated in a confidence vote by the NDP and Greens.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Keller |first1=James |last2=Hunter |first2=Justine |last3=Hager |first3=Mike |title=B.C. NDP to take power following confidence vote, ending 16 years of Liberal rule |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clarks-liberals-lose-confidence-vote/article35500474/ |access-date=11 November 2018 |work=The Globe and Mail }}</ref>

====New Brunswick====
On 2 November 2018 (less than two months after the [[2018 New Brunswick general election]]) the [[Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick|legislative assembly]] voted 25-23 for a motion, introduced by the [[Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick|Progressive Conservatives]], to amend the throne speech to [[motion of no confidence|declare no confidence]] in the government. Subsequently, Premier [[Brian Gallant]] indicated his intention to resign the premiership and recommend to the lieutenant governor that PC leader [[Blaine Higgs]] be given the mandate to form a minority government: "I will go see the lieutenant governor at her earliest convenience to inform her that I will be resigning as premier, and I will humbly suggest to her honour to allow the leader of the Conservative Party to attempt to form a government and attempt to gain the confidence of the house." [[People's Alliance of New Brunswick|People's Alliance]] leader [[Kris Austin]] said he would work with the new government "in the areas we agree on," and reiterated his promise to support the Progressive Conservatives on confidence votes for a period of 18 months. [[Green Party of New Brunswick|Green Party]] leader [[David Coon]] said he would start working with the Tories in an attempt to ensure his party's issues were on the government's agenda.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-confidence-vote-liberals-gallant-1.4888347|title=Brian Gallant's minority New Brunswick government defeated after losing confidence vote | CBC News|website=CBC}}</ref>

====Ontario====
Twenty-two days after the [[1985 Ontario general election|1985 Ontario provincial election]], the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario]] government resigned after a [[vote of no confidence]], and the [[Ontario Liberal Party]] formed a government with the support of the [[Ontario New Democratic Party]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A165614744/ITBC |title=NDP, Liberals move non-confidence |last=Stephens |first=Robert |work=The Globe and Mail |issn=0319-0714}}</ref> The agreement between the two parties was referred to as "The Accord".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Minority is working |last=Peterson |first=David |work=The Toronto Star |issn=0319-0781|id = {{ProQuest|435524082}}}}</ref>

====Yukon====
After the [[2021 Yukon general election|2021 territorial election]] resulted in the [[Yukon Liberal Party]] and the [[Yukon Party]] winning the same number of seats, the third place [[Yukon New Democratic Party]] agreed to provide confidence and supply to a Liberal minority government.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Yukon Liberals, NDP make deal to work together in government|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-liberal-ndp-announcement-government-1.6006387|url-status=live|work=CBC News}}</ref>

===India===
[[Third Front (India)|Third Front]] national governments were formed in [[1989 Indian general election|1989]] and [[1996 Indian general election|1996]] with outside support of one of the two major parties, [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]] or [[Indian National Congress|Congress]].

The [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPI-M]] gave outside support to the Congress Party from 2004 to 2008, but later withdrew support after the [[India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement]].

===Ireland===
After the [[2016 Irish general election|2016 general election]], [[Government of the 32nd Dáil|a minority government]] was formed by [[Fine Gael]] and some independents, with confidence-and-supply ({{lang-ga|muinín agus soláthar}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://comhar.ie/iris/77/8/muinin-agus-solathar/|title=Muinín agus soláthar?|website=comhar.ie}}</ref>) support from [[Fianna Fáil]] in return for a published set of policy commitments from the government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fiannafail.ie/confidence-and-supply-arrangement/|title=Confidence and Supply Arrangement|year=2016|publisher=Fianna Fáil|access-date=3 August 2016}}</ref> Fianna Fáil abstained on confidence and supply votes, but reserved the right to vote for or against any bill proposed in the [[Dáil]] or [[Seanad Éireann|Seanad]]. The deal lasted until the [[Members of the 32nd Dáil|32nd Dáil]] dissolved for a [[2020 Irish general election|general election]] to be held in 2020.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lehane|first=Mícheál|title=Fianna Fáil renews Confidence and Supply Agreement|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2018/1212/1016784-politics/|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Taoiseach Leo Varadkar calls general election for February 8 |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2020/taoiseach-leo-varadkar-calls-general-election-for-february-8-38860222.html |access-date=2020-01-26 |website=Independent.ie |language=en}}</ref>

=== Italy ===
In Italy, the equivalent of confidence and supply is called "external support" ({{lang-it|appoggio esterno}}). Starting from the 50's through the 70's there were various examples of [[Christian Democracy (Italy)|Christian Democratic]] cabinets being able to govern thanks to confidence and supply agreements with other minor parties. Most famously, the [[Andreotti III Cabinet]] was formed in 1976 thanks to a confidence and supply agreement between the Christian Democrats and the [[Italian Communist Party]], referred to as "the historic compromise" ({{lang-it|il compromesso storico}}), in which the Communist Party agreed not to vote against the government during confidence votes.

The [[Dini Cabinet]], formed in 1995, and the [[Monti Cabinet]], formed in 2011, were [[Technocratic government (Italy)|technocratic governments]] which relied on the support of the main parties in Parliament during confidence votes.

===Japan===
In [[Japan]], the equivalent of a confidence and supply arrangement is called {{Nihongo|"extra-cabinet cooperation"|閣外協力|kakugai kyōryoku}}. The latest such agreement was made after the 1996 House of Representatives election between the [[Second Hashimoto Cabinet]], an [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|LDP]] single-party government somewhat short of majorities in both houses, and two parties which had formed the governing coalition with the LDP until the election: the [[Japan Socialist Party|JSP]] and [[New Party Sakigake|''Shintō Sakigake'']] (NPH/NPS/Sakigake). By 1997, the LDP had gained a House of Representatives majority of its own through accessions (see [[New Frontier Party (Japan)|New Frontier Party]]) and was hoping to regain full parliamentary control in the 1998 House of Councillors election. Instead, the cooperation agreement was ultimately terminated while the government lost seats in the 1998 election, leaving clear control to the opposition, a so-called [[Nejire Kokkai|"Twisted Diet"]]. The Hashimoto Cabinet resigned to give way for a [[Obuchi Cabinet|new cabinet]] led by prime minister Keizō Ōbuchi which entered formal negotiations with other parties to form a [[coalition government]] by January 1999 (First Reshuffled Obuchi Cabinet).

There is another implicit form of cooperation where (usually very small) parties which are not part of the cabinet join one of the ruling parties in joint [[parliamentary group]]s in one or both houses of the National Diet and vote with the government. A recent example were the joint LDP groups with the [[Party for Japanese Kokoro]] and [[New Party Daichi]] during the 2nd Reshuffled Third Abe Cabinet.

===Malaysia===
A confidence and supply agreement was signed on 13 September 2021 between [[Barisan Nasional]] and [[Pakatan Harapan]] to strengthen political stability amid the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. This is the first such agreement signed to ensure [[bipartisan|bipartisan cooperation]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tan |first1=Vincent |title=Malaysian government and opposition Pakatan Harapan ink 'historic' MOU on bipartisan cooperation |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysian-government-and-opposition-pakatan-harapan-ink-historic-mou-bipartisan-cooperation-2174116 |website=CNA |access-date=17 September 2021 }}</ref>

===New Zealand===
In New Zealand, confidence and supply arrangements are common due to the [[mixed-member proportional|MMP]] system used in the country. The parties providing confidence and supply have a more prominent role than in other countries, with MPs from the support parties often being appointed to [[Ministers of the New Zealand Government|ministerial portfolios]] outside of Cabinet.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/10/what-is-confidence-and-supply-and-how-does-it-differ-from-a-coalition.html|title=What is confidence and supply… and how does it differ from a coalition?|work=Newshub|access-date=2017-10-19}}</ref> New Zealand codified the procedures it used to form these Governments in its Cabinet Manual.<ref name="dpmc nz">{{cite web |title=CO (17) 10: Labour-New Zealand First Coalition, with Confidence and Supply from the Green Party: Consultation and Operating Arrangements |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/co-17-10-labour-new-zealand-first-coalition-confidence-and-supply-green-party |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=25 June 2018}}</ref>

[[John Key]]'s [[New Zealand National Party|National Party]] administration formed a minority government in [[2008 New Zealand general election|2008]] thanks to a confidence-and-supply agreement with the [[ACT New Zealand|ACT]], [[United Future]] and the [[Māori Party]].<ref name=bryant>{{cite news |last1=Bryant |first1=Nick |title=Lessons from New Zealand in art of coalition building |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8665835.stm |work=[[BBC News]] }}</ref> A similar arrangement in [[2005 New Zealand general election|2005]] had led to [[Helen Clark]]'s [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]] forming a coalition government with the [[Jim Anderton's Progressive Party|Progressive Party]], with support on confidence and supply from [[New Zealand First]] and [[United Future]]. After the [[2014 New Zealand general election|2014]] election, National re-entered confidence-and-supply agreements with United Future, the ACT Party, and the Māori Party. In 2017, despite National winning more votes than Labour in the election, New Zealand First chose to enter coalition with Labour to help them change the government, with support on confidence and supply from the left-wing [[Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand|Green Party]].<ref name="dpmc nz"/>

===United Kingdom===
Between 1977 and 1978, [[Jim Callaghan|Jim Callaghan's]] [[British Labour Party|Labour Party]] stayed in power thanks to a confidence-and-supply agreement with the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]], in a deal which became known as the [[Lib-Lab Pact]]. In return, the Labour Party agreed to modest policy concessions for the Liberal Party.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/16/politics-what-is-confidence-and-supply |title=Politics: what is confidence and supply? |first=Matthew |last=Weaver |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=22 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Election 2017: DUP agrees 'confidence' deal with Tories|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2017-40236152|work=BBC News}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]] which left [[Theresa May]]'s [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] without a majority, [[Conservative–DUP agreement|a confidence-and-supply agreement]] was agreed with the [[Democratic Unionist Party]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Peck|first1=Tom|title=Theresa May to enter into 'confidence and supply' arrangement with the Democratic Unionists|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-conservative-dup-confidence-and-supply-coalition-formal-cabinet-positions-northern-irish-a7783741.html|access-date=10 June 2017|work=The Independent}}</ref>

====Devolved government====
Confidence and supply deals are more frequent in the devolved legislatures of Scotland and Wales due to the use of [[proportional representation]].{{citation needed}} The [[Scottish National Party]] and [[Scottish Green Party]] had a confidence and supply deal in the [[Scottish Parliament]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-38828873|title=Scots budget vote passed after Green deal|work=BBC News}}</ref> The [[Welsh Labour Party]] and [[Plaid Cymru]] had a similar co-operation deal in the [[Welsh Assembly]] until October 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-41526435|title=Plaid to end Labour co-operation deal|work=BBC News}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/agreement+confidence+and+supply+between+labourprogressive+government+and+united+future+parli Example of confidence and supply agreement in New Zealand]

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