A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other national emergency. A unity government according to the principles of consensus democracy lacks opposition, or opposition parties are too small and negligible.

By country

Afghanistan

Following the disputed 2014 presidential elections, a National Unity Government (NUG) between both run-off candidates was formed with Ashraf Ghani as President of Afghanistan and Abdullah Abdullah in the new office of Chief Executive of Afghanistan. This power-sharing agreement broke apart after the 2019 Afghan presidential election, after which Ghani abolished the office of Chief Executive while Abdullah again refused to recognize Ghani's presidency and demanded the formation of a new government in northern Afghanistan. Both politicians lost power after the Taliban overthrew the Afghan government in 2021.

Canada

During World War I, the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

government of Sir Robert Borden invited the Liberal opposition to join the government as a means of dealing with the Conscription crisis of 1917. The Liberals, led by Sir Wilfrid Laurier refused; however, Borden was able to convince many individual Liberals to join what was called a '' Union Government'', which defeated the Laurier Liberals in the fall 1917 election. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the opposition Conservative Party ran under the name National Government in the 1940 election as a means of promoting their platform of creating a wartime national government coalition (evocative of the previous war's '' Union government''). The party was not successful in the election, which re-elected the Liberal government of William Lyon Mackenzie King, whose party continued to rule alone for the duration of

Newfoundland

The Dominion of Newfoundland (not to be part of Canada for another three decades) had a National Government during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

led by Edward Patrick Morris.

China

In modern Chinese history, the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

twice saw United Fronts forms to provide national unity in a time of civil conflict. The First United Front (1923–1927) saw the Nationalists (KMT) and Communists (CCP) unite to end warlordism within the country, however since neither party was the centrally recognised Government of China at the time the First United Front cannot be viewed as a true example of a national unity government. Following the advent of the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

, the KMT, the now solely recognised central party of the country, once again opted to form the Second United Front with the CCP – the two parties at this point had been engaged in an open civil war since the collapse of the First United Front. This new front acted as a national unity government for the extent of the war and represented the solely recognised government for China at the time, though the overall level of cooperation between the two parties – past the cessation of hostility – was mostly nominal.Buss, Claude Albert. (1972). Stanford Alumni Association. The People's Republic of China and Richard Nixon. United States.

Croatia

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

formed a national unity government in 1991 under prime minister Franjo Gregurić in response to the outbreak of the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

. Even though the cabinet included ministers from minority parties, all heads of ministries were either from the majority Croatian Democratic Union or soon defected to it.

Estonia

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

had national unity governments during the Estonian War of Independence (Päts I–III Provisional cabinets) and after the 1924 coup d'état attempt by the Communist Party of Estonia (Jaakson cabinet).

Greece

A national unity government in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

is often called ecumenical government: * 1926 under Alexandros Zaimis * 1944 under Georgios Papandreou ( ) * 1974 under Konstantinos Karamanlis * 1989 under Xenophon Zolotas * 2011 under Lucas Papademos

Hungary

There are five periods in Hungary when national unity governments emerged: * 1917–1918, during

( Móric Esterházy and Sándor Wekerle cabinets) * 1919–1920, cabinet of Károly Huszár, restoration of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

* 1944–1945, during

, Government of National Unity ( Ferenc Szálasi cabinet) * 1944–1947, opposition government during

( Béla Miklós) and after following Zoltán Tildy and Ferenc Nagy cabinets) * 1956, during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (third cabinet of Imre Nagy)

Ireland

A national unity government, following the failure of government formation after the 2020 general election, was suggested to deal with the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Instead, a Fianna Fáil– Fine Gael– Green coalition was formed, creating the 32nd government of Ireland.

Israel

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

has had several national unity governments, in which major rival parties formed a ruling coalition. Such coalitions were formed in the days leading up to the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...

in 1967, in the late 1980s and amidst the

in 2020. The 36th government, formed in 2021, was a national unity government that has been frequently described as the most diverse governments in Israeli history, consisting of right-wing, centrist, left-wing and one Arab Islamist political party. Following the October 7 attack by

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

, the National Unity party became part of an Israeli war cabinet, joining the 37th government. The National Unity party left the war cabinet in June 2024, leading to the cabinet's dissolution.

Italy

In the republican era, the first two cabinets, led by Alcide De Gasperi, were supported by all three of the following parties, the pro-American Christian Democrats and the pro-Soviet Italian Communist Party and Italian Socialist Party. Afterwards, the first government generally recognised as a national unity government was the third Andreotti Cabinet, also known as ''non-no confidence vote'' government, as the Italian Communist Party decided to not take part at the confidence vote. The communists voted in favour of the motion of confidence for the following cabinet, still led by Giulio Andreotti. During the Eurozone crisis, the two main parties, The People of Freedom and the Democratic Party, along with other minor political forces, supported the Monti cabinet, and eventually, after the 2013 general election, formed a

grand coalition A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political party, political parties of opposing political spectrum, political ideologies unite in a coalition government. Causes of a grand coali ...

in support of the Letta Cabinet, which, however, was opposed by a new major political force in parliament, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement. The Draghi Cabinet, formed during the

and resulting economic crisis, has been described as a national unity government. It comprises a mixture of independent experts as well as politicians from most of Italy's political parties: the Five Star Movement, Democratic Party, League, Forza Italia, Italia Viva, and Free and Equal. The following is a list of national unity or

governments: * De Gasperi II Cabinet (14 July 1946 – 2 February 1947) * De Gasperi III Cabinet (2 February 1947 – 1 June 1947) * Andreotti III Cabinet (29 July 1976 – 11 March 1978) * Andreotti IV Cabinet (11 March 1978 – 20 March 1979) * Ciampi Cabinet (28 April 1993 – 10 May 1994) – Note: grand coalition support lasted only until 4 May 1993 * Monti Cabinet (16 November 2011 – 28 April 2013) * Letta Cabinet (28 April 2013 – 22 February 2014) – Note: grand coalition support lasted only until 15 November 2013 * Draghi Cabinet (13 February 2021 – 22 October 2022)

Kenya

From 2008 to 2013, Kenya was governed by Government of National Unity between the rival Party of National Unity of Mwai Kibaki and the

Orange Democratic Movement The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is a centre-left political party in Kenya. It is the successor of a grassroots people's movement that was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in Augus ...

Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (Kenya), Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013 and has ...

following the 2007 presidential election and subsequent violence. This was due to the ODM winning the majority of seats in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

, but controversially losing the presidential election by a margin that has since been called into question for its validity.

Lebanon

Since

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

is a multireligious state and consensus democracy, having a national unity government is more favorable in this country. Unlike other democracies, no group in Lebanon can govern alone.

Libya

Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, selected as Prime Minister of Libya by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) on 5 February 2021, is required under the agreements made by the LPDF to nominate a cabinet of ministers to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

(HoR) by 26 February 2021, establishing the Government of National Unity (Libya).

Luxembourg

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

has had two '' National Union Governments''. The first was formed in 1916, during

(in which Luxembourg was neutral, but occupied by

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

nonetheless). It was led by Victor Thorn and included all of the major factions in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

, but lasted for only sixteen months. The second National Union Government was formed in November 1945, in the aftermath of

, which had devastated Luxembourg. It was led by Pierre Dupong, who had been

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

in the government in exile in the war, and included all four parties represented in the Chamber of Deputies. The government lasted until 1947, by which time, a normal coalition between two of the three largest parties had been arranged, thus maintaining the confidence of the legislature. In addition, Luxembourg had a '' Liberation Government'' between November 1944 and November 1945, also under Dupong. It served a similar emergency role to a national government, but included only the two largest parties, the CSV and the LSAP.

Malaysia

For the first time in Malaysian history, a hung parliament occurred when no political party managed to command a simple majority in the Dewan Rakyat from the 15th general election (GE15). Upon the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's call to form a unity government, both Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional agreed to join forces, with Anwar Ibrahim elected as the Prime Minister while Perikatan Nasional decided to be the opposition party.

Myanmar

After the 2021 Myanmar coup, on 16 April 2021, the exiled Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) announced the formation of a National Unity Government (), pursuant to the Federal Democracy Charter released on 31 March 2021. The National Unity Government re-introduced the position of Prime Minister, and consists of CRPH members and other ethnic leaders.

Namibia

Nepal

Following the devastating April 2015 Nepal earthquake, top political parties in

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

have decided to form a national unity government in order to handle the crisis and draft a constitution that's been long overdue. The major political parties and unified political fronts have agreed to settle the disputed issues of the constitution drafting process by 3 June and to form a national unity government.

Palestine

The Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014 was a national unity government of the Palestinian National Authority under Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formed on 2 June 2014 following the Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Agreement that had been signed on 23 April 2014. The ministers were nominally independent, but overwhelmingly seen as loyal to President Abbas and his Fatah movement or to smaller leftist factions, none of whom were believed to have close ties to

. However, the Unity Government was not approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council, leading to its legitimacy being questioned. The Unity Government dissolved on 17 June 2015 after President Abbas said it was unable to operate in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

Poland

In the 1989 Polish parliamentary election, Poland's first semi-free election since World War II, candidates backed by the Solidarity movement won all 161 seats up for free election. The ruling Communist-dominated Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth—comprising the Communist Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR), the United People's Party (ZSL), and the Democratic Party (SD)—broke down soon after, as the ZSL and SD formed an alliance with Solidarity. This forced President Wojciech Jaruzelski to appoint the Cabinet of Tadeusz Mazowiecki on 12 September 1989, Poland's first government since World War II with a non-Communist majority. It was a national unity government of Solidarity-endorsed ministers alongside the PZPR, ZSL, and SD, with the Communists still controlling the

Defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

and Interior ministries. The PZPR was dissolved on 29 January 1990 and its former ministers resigned on 6 July.

Portugal

A national unity government (known as the ''Sacred Union Government''; Port.: ''Governo da União Sagrada'') was in place during the first year of Portuguese participation in

, led by the Evolutionist Party president António José de Almeida from 15 March 1916 to 25 April 1917, and with the participation of the Democratic Party of Afonso Costa.

Rwanda

After

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

in 1994, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), has ruled Rwanda using tactics which have been characterized as authoritarian. Elections are manipulated in various ways including banning opposition parties, arresting or assassinating critics, and

electoral fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...

South Africa

The interim constitution negotiated by the multi-party negotiations to end apartheid that started in 1990 allowed all parties that gained more than 5% of the vote to participate in a Government of National Unity. The new government that was elected in the 1994 general election therefore had members from many political parties in the cabinet. This government of national unity lasted until the 1999 general election, although it was dominated by the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

(ANC) and a reported lack of shared decision-making prompted the second-largest party, the National Party, to withdraw from the GNU in 1996. In the 2024 South African general election, support for the ruling ANC party significantly declined. The ANC remained the largest party but lost the parliamentary majority that it had held since the inaugural post-apartheid election in 1994, which required negotiations between parties on the formation of a government. On 14 June 2024, the ANC, the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA), agreed to form a coalition which they referred to as a ' Government of National Unity' (GNU), led by the ANC's Cyril Ramaphosa who was re-elected President of South Africa with the support of the parties who then formed part of the GNU. A further six parties subsequently joined the GNU to form a

of ten parties, with jointly 287 seats in the 400 seat parliament (72%). The additional parties which joined towards the end of June 2024 were the GOOD Party; Rise Mzansi; Al Jama-ah; the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the Freedom Front Plus. These members of the GNU signed a statement of intent with the African National Congress.

GNU Cabinet of 2024/2025

Sources: * President - Cyril Ramaphosa (

) * Vice President - Paul Mashatile (

) * Ministry in the Presidency ** Minister - Khumbudzo Ntshavheni (

) ** Deputy Ministers - Nonceba Mhlauli (

) and Kenneth Morolong (

) * Ministry of Finance ** `Minister - Enoch Godongwana (

) ** Deputy Ministers - Dr. David Masondo (

) and Ashor Sarupen ( Democratic Alliance) * Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation ** Minister - Ronald Lamola (

) ** Deputy Ministers - Alvin Botes (

) and Thandi Moraka (

) * Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development ** Minister - Thembi Nkadimeng (

) ** Deputy Minister - Andries Nel (

) * Ministry of Agriculture ** Minister - John Steenhuisen ( Democratic Alliance) ** Deputy Minister - Rosemary Capa (

) * Ministry of Land Reform and Rural Development ** Minister - Mzwanele Nyhontso ( Pan Africanist Congress of Azania) ** Deputy Minister - Stan Mathabatha (

) * Ministry of Basic Education ** Minister - Siviwe Gwarube ( Democratic Alliance) ** Deputy Minister - Reginah Mhaule (

) * Ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies ** Minister - Solly Malatsi ( Democratic Alliance) ** Deputy Minister- Mondli Gungubele (

) * Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs ** Minister - Velenkosini Hlabisa ( Inkatha Freedom Party) ** Deputy Ministers - Dickson Masemola (

) and Zolile Burns-Ncamashe (

) * Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans ** Minister - Angie Motshekga (

) ** Deputy Ministers - Bantu Holomisa ( United Democratic Movement) and Richard Mkhungo (

) * Ministry of Electricity and Energy ** Minister - Kgosientsho Ramokgopa (

) ** Deputy Minister - Samantha Graham-Maré ( Democratic Alliance) * Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation ** Minister - Dr Blade Nzimande (

) ** Deputy Minister - Nomalungelo Gina (

) * Ministry of Employment and Labour (

) ** Minister - Nomakhosazana Meth (

) ** Deputy Ministers - Jomo Sibiya (

) and Phumzile Mgcina (

) * Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment ** Minister - Dion George ( Democratic Alliance) ** Deputy Ministers - Narend Singh ( Inkatha Freedom Party) and Bernice Swarts (

) * Ministry of Health ** Minister - Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi (

) ** Deputy Minister - Dr. Joe Phaahla (

) * Ministry of Higher Education ** Minister - Nobuhle Nkabane (

) ** Deputy Ministers - Buti Manamela (

) and Mimmy Gondwe ( Democratic Alliance) * Ministry of Home Affairs ** Minister - Leon Schreiber ( Democratic Alliance) ** Deputy Minister - Njabulo Nzuza (

) * Ministry of Human Settlements ** Minister - Mmamoloko Kubayi (

) ** Deputy Minister - Tandi Mahambehlala (

) * Ministry of Mineral and Petroleum Resources ** Minister - Gwede Mantashe (

) ** Deputy Minister - Judith Nemadzinga‐Tshabalala (

) * Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation ** Minister - Maropene Ramokgopa (

) ** Deputy Minister - Seiso Mohai (

) * Ministry of Police ** Minister - Senzo Mchunu (

) ** Deputy Ministers - Polly Boshielo and Cassel Mathale (

) * Ministry of Public Service and Administration ** Minister - Mzamo Buthelezi ( Inkatha Freedom Party) ** Deputy Minister - Pinky Kekana (

) * Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure ** Minister - Dean Macpherson ( Democratic Alliance) ** Deputy Minister - Sihle Zikalala (

) * Ministry of Small Business Development ** Minister - Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams (

) ** Deputy Minister - Jane Sithole ( Democratic Alliance) * Ministry of Social Development ** Minister- Sisisi Tolashe (

) ** Deputy Minister - Ganief Hendricks ( Al Jama-ah) * Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture ** Minister - Gayton McKenzie ( Patriotic Alliance) ** Deputy Minister - Peace Mabe (

) * Ministry of Tourism ** Minister - Patricia de Lille ( GOOD Party) ** Deputy Minister of Tourism - Maggie Sotyu (

) * Ministry of Trade, Industry and Competition ** Minister - Parks Tau (

) ** Deputy Ministers - Zuko Godlimpi (

) and Andrew Whitfield ( Democratic Alliance) * Ministry of Transport ** Minister - Barbara Creecy (

) ** Deputy Minister - Mkhuleko Hlengwa ( Inkatha Freedom Party) * Ministry of Water and Sanitation ** Minister - Pemmy Majodina (

) ** Deputy Ministers - David Mahlobo (

) and Sello Seitlholo ( Democratic Alliance) * Ministry of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities ** Minister - Sindisiwe Chikunga (

) ** Deputy Minister - Mmapaseka Steve Letsike (

) * Ministry of Correctional Services ** Minister - Pieter Groenewald ( Freedom Front Plus) ** Deputy Minister - Lindiwe Ntshalintshali (

)

2025 Budget Deadlock

On the 19th of February 2025, the post 2024 election GNU encountered its first stumbling block. This was an unprecedent event in the history of the democratic dispensation. The Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana was scheduled to table the 2025 Budget Speech or the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), however the Standing Committee on Finance and Select Committee on Finance could not reach a resolution in time. The budget, which contained a contentious plan to raise Value Added Tax (VAT) by 2% to 17%, was scheduled to be presented by the Finance Minister. Members of the GNU opposed the hike, citing concerns about how it may affect the most vulnerable residents of the nation. Parties returned to the negotiation table to reach an agreement about a budget which GNU partners could co - sign.

Sri Lanka

Following the fall of the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime, the United National Party who won the 2015 elections formed a National Unity Government with the main opposition Sri Lanka Freedom Party Under Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe.

Sweden

Sweden has only had one national unity government; The Hansson III Cabinet during

. The government was made up of all parties in the parliament except the Communist party which was considered to be pro-Soviet and hence unreliable. The government consisted of six ministers from the Social Democratic party (including prime minister Per Albin Hansson), three from the Right Wing party, three from the Liberal People's party, three from the Farmer's League and two nonpartisan politicians. The ultimate goal of this government's policy was to keep Sweden out of the war, which they also succeeded with. The Hansson government introduced

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

of press, literature and culture, which was applied to both pro-nazi and pro-communist propaganda. The government also approved departures from the neutrality policy to keep Sweden out of the war.

United Kingdom

First-past-the-post voting First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or first-preference, and the candidate with more first- ...

, the British electoral system, has long increased the likelihood of a single party gaining a majority of Members of Parliament, who have run most departments and the government legislation of the country since the early 20th century. After the formation of clear political parties in the Lords and Commons, the first national unity government came in response to the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. William Pitt the Younger offered to replace Prime Minister Henry Addington's government with a cabinet including all of the major parliamentary leaders such as himself, Charles James Fox, and Lord Grenville. This proved impossible because of irreconcilable policy differences between the factions (including Fox's opposition to the war in general), Fox's intense animosity towards Pitt the Younger, and King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

's refusal to appoint a government including Fox. After the death of Pitt the Younger in 1806, King George finally acquiesced and allowed Grenville and Fox to form a new " Ministry of All the Talents." This ministry had cross-party support, ranging from very socially conservative Tories, and the broad range of Whigs (among them Charles James Fox and the Foxites as well as Grenvillites), selected for their combined broad political support in both Houses of Parliament and known capabilities in a time of crisis. However, the ministry was frustrated in its attempts to make peace with the First French Empire, and despite one major legislative success (the Slave Trade Act 1807 banning the

Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

in the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

), it fell apart in 1807 over the question of Catholic Emancipation and was replaced following a general election by a Tory ministry led by the Duke of Portland. The world wars and the long recovery to the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

would be the only further instances of National Governments. The next major government representing all parties came during

after the Norway Debate, in which Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and his cabinet were condemned for their handling of the war and faced a vote of no confidence in which members of his own party voted with the Opposition against him. The debate also revealed that

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, an early opponent of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and appeasement, would be the only Conservative minister under which both Labour and Conservative MPs would join a government. Churchill agreed to form a new government after Chamberlain resigned. The subsequent Churchill war ministry included Churchill as

, Labour Party Leader

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. At ...

as deputy prime minister, Conservative Party Leader Chamberlain as Lord President of the Council, and Liberal leader Archibald Sinclair as Secretary of State for Air.

Quasi-national governments

After 10 years of rule by the Liberal Party, Prime Minister H. H. Asquith agreed to form a new coalition ministry with the Conservative Party in response to

in 1915. However, the government remained dominated by the Liberals with few Conservatives in important Cabinet posts. Asquith resigned as Conservatives refused to serve in his government in 1916, and David Lloyd George and Conservative Party Leader

Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...

formed a new coalition government from Conservatives and a minority of Liberals opposed to Asquith's handling of the war, which was opposed by Asquith's Liberals. In the 1918 general election held after the end of the war,

Coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

-endorsed candidates won a large majority. Thereafter a coalition that faced few opposition MPs under David Lloyd George lasted until 1922 when, at the Carlton Club meeting, Conservative backbenchers declared that the party would fight the forthcoming election with its own leader and programme. During the

the first of four consecutive ''National Governments'' was formed in 1931 by Ramsay MacDonald ( Labour/ National Labour) succeeded by Stanley Baldwin (

) with their largest opponent and the Liberals. Most members of the Labour and Liberal Parties rejected the government, however, and moved to the opposition benches leaving MacDonald's supporters to rival mainstream party candidates in many cases as National Labour/National Labour Organisation or in the Liberal National Party. Notably candidates styled in this way contested the 1935 election; this long period of quasi-national government took in broader support and widened its selections of ministers in the war years, and its fourth transmutation persisted until the general election of 1945. In 2019, the idea of a government of National Unity was proposed by politicians including Labour leader

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...

and Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson to stop a no-deal Brexit spearheaded by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Northern Ireland

The Belfast Agreement, which sets out the workings of the Northern Ireland Assembly, effectively enforces all-party governments in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. All governments formed since the foundation of the Northern Ireland Executive in 1999 have contained ministers from the five main parties (

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

, Democratic Unionist Party, Ulster Unionist Party, Social Democratic and Labour Party and

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

), with seats allocated using the d'Hondt method.

United States

In hopes of bridging partisan politics during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Republican

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

ran for his second term under the new National Union Party with Democrat Andrew Johnson as his running mate. The National Union Party allowed members to retain affiliations with other political parties. Since the Civil War, there has never been a "national unity" government in the United States in the traditional sense. There have been several instances, however, during national disasters or wars, that the two parties have briefly "rallied around the President". Such instances include the attack on Pearl Harbor, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the September 11 attacks, all of which not only had a worldwide effect, but preceded a massive spike in the approval rating of the sitting president.

Zimbabwe

The 2008–2009 Zimbabwean political negotiations between the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (led by Morgan Tsvangirai), its small splinter group, the Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara (led by Arthur Mutambara), and the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (led by Robert Mugabe) created a framework for a power-sharing executive government between the two parties. These negotiations followed the 2008 presidential election, in which Mugabe was controversially re-elected, as well as the 2008 parliamentary election, in which the MDC won a majority in the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

. The new national unity government, including Tsvangirai, was sworn in on 11 February 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Government Political parties Coalition governments