Government formation

Government formation is the process in a parliamentary system of selecting a prime minister and cabinet members. If no party controls a majority of seats, it can also involve deciding which parties will be part of a coalition government. It usually occurs after an election, but can also occur after a vote of no confidence in an existing government.

The equivalent phenomenon in presidential republics is a presidential transition.

Delays or failures in forming a government
A failure to form a government is a type of cabinet crisis where a functional cabinet (whether a majority or a minority government ruling with a confidence and supply agreement) cannot be formed. Such a problem typically occurs after an inconclusive election, but can also happen if a formerly-stable government falls apart mid-term and new elections are not called.

The process of government formation can sometimes be lengthy. For example, following the 2013 German federal election, Germany engaged in 85 days of government formation negotiations, the longest in the nation's post-war history. The outcome was the third Merkel cabinet, another grand coalition led by Angela Merkel.

During the formation process, the outgoing ministers typically remains in office as a caretaker government. If the cabinet formation process is lengthy, this can result in a substantial extension of their term; Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte did not run for re-election in the 2023 Dutch general election, but remained in office for 7 months during the cabinet formation.

Belgium
Belgian governments are typically coalition governments due to the split between the Flemish and French-speaking parts of the country. On occasion, this has led to a situation where no party is able to form a government but the Parliament does not vote to return to the polls. This occurred most notably in 2010–11, when Belgium was ruled by a caretaker government for a year and a half. Though there were calls for drastic measures to resolve the issue, including via a partition of Belgium, government functions continued without interruption under the caretaker government.