Government Formation
In parliamentary countries (UK and JP), elections don't automatically produce a government. After the lower chamber results are in, parties must negotiate and win a confidence vote to seat a Prime Minister. This page covers that process from election night through a functioning government.
Which Countries Use This
| Country | Government type | Formation process |
|---|---|---|
| US | Presidential | President elected directly; no formation vote |
| UK | Parliamentary | PM must hold confidence of Commons |
| JP | Parliamentary | PM must hold confidence of Shūgiin |
| DE | Parliamentary | DE formation modelled separately |
This page focuses on UK (Commons) and JP (Shūgiin). The mechanics apply to any country where COUNTRY_CONFIGS[countryId].governmentType === "parliamentary".
Government Status
The governmentFormations collection tracks the current government state per country with a status field:
formed— A PM is seated and the government is active. Legislation proceeds normally.pending— No PM is seated. The government is in formation. Legislation is fully frozen.
The Legislation Freeze
While status === "pending":
- No new bills can be proposed in the lower chamber
- Cabinet bills cannot be proposed or voted on
- Bills already in progress stay paused in their current status
- The freeze lifts automatically the turn after a PM is seated
This freeze is intentional — governments don't legislate without a mandate.
How Formation Works After an Election
When a lower-chamber general election resolves:
Step 1: Seat Count Update
The turn processor reads the election results and updates seatsByParty — how many seats each party holds. This determines who has the numbers to form a government.
Step 2: Confidence Motion for Incumbent PM (if applicable)
If the current PM retained their seat in the election, the system automatically files a Confidence Motion — a special PM appointment vote with isConfidenceMotion: true. The PM stays in office during the 24-hour vote window.
- If the motion passes, the PM continues. Sibling appointment votes are cancelled.
- If the motion fails (and no alternative PM has been seated), the PM is removed,
status → "pending", and the legislation freeze activates. The 96-turn vacancy clock arms. - If the incumbent lost their seat, no confidence motion is filed. The government enters
pendingstate and the vacancy clock arms.
Step 3: PM Appointment Votes
Any eligible character can be nominated as PM by filing a PM appointment vote. Appointment votes:
- Last 24 hours each (
PM_VOTE_DURATION_HOURS) - Are voted on by all lower-chamber members (Commons MPs or Shūgiin members)
- Require a simple majority of votes cast to pass
Multiple appointment votes can be open simultaneously. The first candidate to reach a majority wins. When one passes, all others are cancelled.
Step 4: PM Seated
When a PM appointment vote passes:
- The character is installed as PM (
pmCharacterId,pmNameset) - Their
currentOfficeis updated - Government
status → "formed" - The legislation freeze lifts next turn
- The vacancy clock clears
The new PM then builds their cabinet by appointing ministers directly (no Senate confirmation equivalent in parliamentary systems).
Coalition Governments
If no single party holds a Commons or Shūgiin majority, a PM candidate typically needs coalition backing. Coalition formation in the game is an informal negotiation between player party chairs:
- Party chairs discuss coalition terms in-game or out-of-band
- A player from the coalition's leading party files the PM appointment vote
- Coalition partner MPs (player and NPP) vote For to provide the majority
- If passed, the PM's
coalitionIdandcoalitionPartyIdsare recorded
NPP coalition partner MPs vote For based on ideology alignment and favorability toward the nominee — they aren't automatically yes votes just because their chair agreed.
VONC-Parallel Nominations
PM appointment votes can also be filed while a Vote of No Confidence (VONC) is active against the sitting PM. This allows the opposition to nominate an alternative before the existing PM is removed:
- Both the VONC and the appointment votes run concurrently
- If the VONC passes, the incumbent is removed and the appointment votes continue in the new
pendingwindow - If the VONC fails, all active appointment votes are cancelled
See No-Confidence Votes for details.
The 96-Turn Vacancy Clock
Any time the government enters pending status — post-election, VONC pass, or PM resignation — a 96-turn clock arms:
pmVacancyDeadlineTurn = currentTurn + 96
96 turns = 96 real hours = approximately 2 game years.
If no PM is seated by the deadline, the turn processor's parliamentaryVacancyWatcher auto-triggers a snap election, bypassing normal PM limits. This is the system's safety valve against indefinite political paralysis.
The clock clears when:
- A PM appointment vote passes
- An admin directly appoints a PM
Post-Formation Cabinet
After seating as PM, the character can appoint cabinet members directly from the government page. There is no Senate equivalent — parliamentary cabinets are appointed by the PM without a confirmation vote. Cabinet members are tracked under the governmentFormations document.
Watching Formation in Real Time
The UK Government page (/uk/government) and equivalent JP page show:
- Current government status (
formedorpending) - The sitting PM name and party (if formed)
- Active PM appointment votes and their current tallies
- Time remaining on appointment votes
- Seat distribution by party
Related Pages
- No-Confidence Votes — How to trigger and vote on a VONC
- Snap Elections — What happens when the vacancy clock expires or the PM calls a snap
- Bills & Legislation — How the legislation freeze works and when it lifts
- Cabinet — Cabinet positions and how the PM appoints them in parliamentary systems