How to Address the Head of Government (Prime Minister) – Office of the Prime Minister (2024)

The Prime Minister

In many Commonwealth countries, the Prime Minister is formally styled ‘The Honourable’. If he/she becomes a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom (an office held for life), then he/she is styled ‘The Right Honourable’.

If the Prime Minister of Jamaica is a member of the Privy Council he/she is formally styled: ‘the Right Honourable ………………………, PC, MP’. Although it has become a tradition in Jamaica to use the postnominal letters ‘PC’, the British and other Commonwealth Countries generally do not use these letters, as it is considered implicit in the title ‘Right Honourable’. It is therefore optional. However, if a Prime Minister becomes a member of the Order of the Nation, he/she is styled the Most Honourable and if he/she becomes a member of the British Privy Council, the letters PC must be placed after the name as the prefix ‘Most Honourable’ subsumes the prefix ‘Right Honourable’ eg. The Most Honourable P.J. Patterson, ON, OCC*, PC, QC.

* Mr Patterson is a member of the Order of Caribbean Community, CARICOM’s highest honour.

At formal official functions if the Governor-General is not present and where the Prime Minister is present, the National Anthem should be played to announce the arrival of the Prime Minister. All persons present should stand silently with heels together and preferably with hands at sides.

The Mode of Address in:

Writing:

The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
1 Devon Road
Kingston 10

Opening Salutation:

Dear Prime Minister

Closing:

……………………………………………………………………………..
Yours faithfully (formal usage)
Yours sincerely (semi-formal usage)
[Signature]

Verbal Address/Subsequent Referrals:

‘Mister/Madam Prime Minister’ (formal) /‘Prime Minister’ (semi-formal)

Introduction:

Prime Minister, may I introduce ……..

Informally:

Only if you are a personal friend, the first name may be used in a private setting

Place Card:

The Prime Minister

Note

Normally place cards are not used for the Governor-General nor the Prime Minister as, at this level, their seats would have been designated and carefully noted by those doing the seating.

Invitation Card:

Placing the title before the name of the host is correct when addressing an invitation card, eg.

The Prime Minister
The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON,PC, MP and
The Most Honourable Mrs Andrew Holness
request the pleasure of the company of

……………………….

NB. In her own professional capacity as a Member of Parliament, Mrs Holness would be styled ‘Mrs Juliet Holness, MP’ and as spouse she would be styled as ‘The Most Honourable Mrs Andrew Holness’.

How to Address the Head of Government (Prime Minister) – Office of the Prime Minister (2024)

FAQs

Is prime minister the same as head of government? ›

Most countries with prime ministers have two executives, a head of government (the prime minister) and a head of state (generally either a non-executive president or a hereditary monarch). The head of state formally appoints the prime minister, who in turn selects the other cabinet ministers.

What do you call a government with a prime minister? ›

parliamentary government (cabinet-parliamentary government) - a government in which a legislature or parliament nominates members of an executive branch (the cabinet and its leader -- a prime minister, premier, or chancellor); this type of government can be dissolved at will by the parliament (legislature) through a no ...

How do I address a former prime minister? ›

The Prime Minister and other members of parliament who are or have been ministers, the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House of Representatives may use the title 'Honourable'. This title may be used for the rest of their life and reflects the honour and responsibility of their previous role.

Who runs the Prime Minister's office? ›

Katie Telford manages the PMO, serving as chief of staff to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since November 4, 2015.

Who is the head of the government? ›

The President is both the head of state and head of government of the United States of America, as well as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Under Article II of the Constitution, the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of laws created by Congress.

What is the highest rank in the government? ›

President - The president is the head of state, leader of the federal government, and Commander in Chief of the United States armed forces. Vice president - The vice president supports the president.

What is a prime minister called in America? ›

Chile, Mexico, Switzerland and the United States never had positions as prime ministers. This contrasts with the presidential system, in which the president (or equivalent) is both the head of state and the head of the government.

What is another name for prime minister? ›

What is another word for prime minister?
leaderpremier
head of statechief of state
commander in chiefchief minister
first ministerchief executive
head of the governmentFirst Lord of the Treasury
40 more rows

What do you call a government leader? ›

Political positions range from local governments to state governments to federal governments to international governments. All government leaders are considered politicians.

What is the proper way to address a minister? ›

Reverend (abbreviated "Rev."), a title of respect applied to clergy since the fifteenth century, has been used as a title prefix to clergy names since the seventeenth century. In some churches, such as the Episcopal church, the practice is to use "the Reverend Ms. Smith."

Is a prime minister his excellency? ›

The president, the prime minister, the chairman of the Parliament, as well as ministers and ambassadors of Armenia are addressed as Excellency, which in Armenian is Ձերդ գերազանցութիւն, Romanized Dzerd gerazancutiwn.

What is the honorific for the prime minister? ›

In many Commonwealth countries, the Prime Minister is formally styled 'The Honourable'. If he/she becomes a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom (an office held for life), then he/she is styled 'The Right Honourable'.

Who is in the PMO's office? ›

List of Officers (PMO)
Principal Secretary to PMDr. P. K. Mishra23013040
National Security AdvisorSh. Ajit Doval KC23019227
Advisor to PMSh. Amit Khare23018485
Sh. Tarun Kapoor23010838
DesignationsOfficer NameTelephone
47 more rows

Who is responsible for the Prime Minister? ›

The prime minister is appointed by the monarch's representative, the governor general, and, as first minister, selects other ministers to form the Cabinet and chairs it.

Who is the current prime minister of England? ›

Current role holder

Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister on 5 July 2024.

Is the Premier the head of government? ›

Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of government, but is not the head of state.

What are the titles of government officials? ›

These positions include, but are not limited to, the President, Vice President, members of the Cabinet, Assistants to the President, Deputy Assistants to the President, Special Assistants to the President, deputy and under secretaries of executive departments, assistant secretaries, American ambassadors, governors, and ...

Is the prime minister the head of the House of Commons? ›

Until 1942, the title was usually held by the prime minister if he sat in the House of Commons, however, in more recent years, the title has been held by a separate politician.

Can a country have a prime minister and president? ›

For example, President Obama of the United States and Prime Minister May of the United Kingdom have different duties and responsibilities despite being considered the leader of their countries. Some countries, such as France, have both a president and a prime minister.

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