Deputy prime minister


A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, as both positions are "number two" offices, but there are some differences.
The states of Australia and provinces of Canada each have the analogous office of deputy premier. In the devolved administrations of the United Kingdom, an analogous position is that of the deputy first minister; but the position in Northern Ireland has the same powers as the First Minister. In Canada, the position of deputy prime minister should not be confused with the Canadian Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister of Canada, a nonpolitical civil servant position.
A deputy prime minister traditionally serves as acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent or incapable of exercising power. The deputy prime minister is often asked to succeed to the prime minister's office following the prime minister's sudden death or unexpected resignation, but that is not necessarily mandated by the constitution. This government position is often a job that is held simultaneously with another ministry, and is usually given to one of the most senior or experienced ministers of the cabinet. The holder of this office may also be deputy leader of the governing party, or perhaps the leader of the junior party of a coalition government.
Little scholarly attention has focused on deputy prime ministers, as they are sometimes less involved in the political power plays of government and more focus on the work at hand. A 2009 study in Political Science identified nine 'qualities' of deputy prime ministership: temperament; relationships with their Cabinet and caucus; relationships with their party; popularity with the public; media skills; achievements as deputy prime minister; relationship with the prime minister; leadership ambition; and method of succession.
By contrast, the structure of the Government of Russia and Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine provides for several deputy prime ministers or vice prime ministers. In the case of the Russian government, the Prime Minister is responsible for defining the scope of the duties for each of their deputies, who also may head a specific ministry: e.g. the former Minister of Finance of Russia, Alexey Kudrin, also serves as one of the deputies of the prime ministers or vice-premiers. One or two of these deputy prime ministers may hold the title of a First Deputy Prime Minister. Russian federal law indicates that in accordance with the order established in advance, one of the deputy prime ministers may temporarily substitute for the Prime Minister in their absence. Customarily, however, it is to one of the "First" Deputy Prime Ministers that the prime-ministerial duties may be delegated. At the same time, in the case of Prime Minister's resignation, the law allows the President of Russia to choose any of the current vice-premiers to serve as an acting Prime Minister until the confirmation of the new government.

Lists of deputy prime ministers

StateOfficeOfficeholderAssumed office
Deputy Prime MinisterErion Braçe17 January 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterTigran Avinyan11 May 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterMher Grigoryan11 May 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterMichael McCormack26 February 2018
Vice-ChancellorWerner Kogler7 January 2020
Deputy Prime MinisterPeter Turnquest11 May 2017
Deputy Prime MinisterKoen Geens2 July 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterDidier Reynders18 July 2004
Deputy Prime MinisterAlexander De Croo22 October 2012
Deputy Prime MinisterSar Kheng3 February 1992
Deputy Prime MinisterHor Namhong16 July 2004
Deputy Prime MinisterTea Banh16 July 2004
Deputy Prime MinisterBin Chhin5 September 2007
Deputy Prime MinisterYim Chhaily25 September 2008
Deputy Prime MinisterMen Sam An25 September 2008
Deputy Prime MinisterKe Kim Yan12 March 2009
Deputy Prime MinisterPrak Sokhonn6 September 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterAun Pornmoniroth6 September 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterChea Sophara6 September 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterChrystia Freeland20 November 2019
First Vice PremierHan Zheng19 March 2018
Second Vice PremierSun Chunlan19 March 2018
Third Vice PremierHu Chunhua19 March 2018
Fourth Vice PremierLiu He19 March 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterDamir Krstičević19 October 2016
Deputy Prime MinisterPredrag Štromar9 June 2017
Deputy Prime MinisterDavor Božinović19 July 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterZdravko Marić19 July 2019
First Deputy Prime MinisterJan Hamáček27 June 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterAlena Schillerová30 April 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterKarel Havlíček30 April 2019
Deputy Prime Minister of EthiopiaDemeke Mekonnen21 September 2012
Deputy Prime MinisterMika Lintilä6 June 2019
Vice-ChancellorOlaf Scholz14 March 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterPanagiotis Pikrammenos9 July 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterVacant N/A
TánaisteLeo Varadkar27 June 2020
Deputy Prime MinisterVacant N/A
Vice Prime MinisterVacant N/A
Deputy Prime MinisterVacant N/A
Deputy Prime MinisterTarō Asō26 December 2012
First Deputy Prime MinisterAlihan Smaiylov25 February 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterRoman Sklyar18 September 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterEraly Togjanov11 February 2020
Deputy Prime MinisterZeina Akar21 January 2020
Deputy Prime MinisterEtienne Schneider4 December 2013
Deputy Prime MinisterVacant N/A
Deputy Prime MinisterChris Fearne17 July 2017
Deputy Prime MinisterIvan Collendavelloo17 December 2014
Vice Prime MinisterFazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo16 November 2017
Deputy Prime MinisterRafet Husović4 December 2012
Deputy Prime MinisterZoran Pažin28 November 2016
Deputy Prime MinisterMilutin Simović28 November 2016
Deputy Prime MinisterHugo de Jonge26 October 2017
Deputy Prime MinisterKajsa Ollongren26 October 2017
Deputy Prime MinisterCarola Schouten26 October 2017
Deputy Prime MinisterWinston Peters26 October 2017
Deputy Prime MinisterVacant N/A
Deputy Prime MinisterJarosław Gowin16 November 2015
Deputy Prime MinisterPiotr Gliński16 November 2015
Deputy Prime MinisterJacek Sasin4 June 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterVacant N/A
Deputy Prime MinisterRaluca Turcan4 November 2019
First Deputy Chairman of the GovernmentAndrey Belousov21 January 2020
Deputy Chairman of the GovernmentViktoria Abramchenko21 January 2020
Deputy Chairman of the GovernmentDmitry Grigorenko21 January 2020
Deputy Chairman of the GovernmentMarat Khusnullin21 January 2020
Deputy Chairman of the GovernmentAlexey Overchuk21 January 2020
Deputy Chairman of the GovernmentYury Borisov18 May 2018
Deputy Chairman of the GovernmentYury Trutnev31 August 2013
Deputy Chairman of the GovernmentTatyana Golikova18 May 2018
Deputy Chairman of the GovernmentDmitry Chernyshenko21 January 2020
First Deputy Prime MinisterIvica Dačić27 April 2014
Deputy Prime MinisterRasim Ljajić27 July 2012
Deputy Prime MinisterZorana Mihajlović27 April 2014
Deputy Prime MinisterNebojša Stefanović11 August 2016
Deputy Prime MinisterHeng Swee Keat1 May 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterZdravko Počivalšek13 March 2020
Deputy Prime MinisterMatej Tonin13 March 2020
Deputy Prime MinisterAleksandra Pivec13 March 2020
Deputy Prime MinisterCarmen Calvo7 June 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterYoo Eun-hae2 October 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterHong Nam-ki10 December 2018
Deputy Prime MinisterMargot Wallström3 October 2014
Deputy Prime MinisterIsabella Lövin25 May 2016
Vice PremierShih Jun-ji8 September 2017
Deputy Prime MinisterPrawit Wongsuwan30 August 2014
Deputy Prime MinisterWissanu Krea-ngam30 August 2014
Deputy Prime MinisterSomkid Jatusripitak20 August 2015
Deputy Prime MinisterJurin Laksanawisit10 July 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterAnutin Charnvirakul10 July 2019
Deputy Prime MinisterVacant N/A
First Secretary of StateDominic Raab24 July 2019
First Deputy Prime MinisterTrương Hòa Bình9 April 2016
Deputy Prime MinisterPhạm Bình Minh13 November 2013
Deputy Prime MinisterVũ Đức Đam13 November 2013
Deputy Prime MinisterVương Đình Huệ9 April 2016
Deputy Prime MinisterTrịnh Đình Dũng9 April 2016

Position abolished