National Union Government (1945) - Forming The Government

Forming The Government

Atypically, Grand Duchess Charlotte decided to intervene in the political sphere, and asked CSV leader Pierre Dupong (who had been Prime Minister since 1937) to form a broader based coalition than Dupong had organised behind his Liberation Government. On 14 November, Dupong invited all four parties in the Chamber of Deputies to unite in his National Union Government. Dupong also included the only independent candidate in the cabinet. As a result, all 51 Deputies were taking the government whip.

The new government had much work to do, and, with no opposition in the legislature, was capable of instituting any plan, provided that the parties could agree policy between themselves. The departmental briefs were handed to cabinet members based upon personal preference. The composition of the first cabinet was:

Name Party Office
Pierre Dupong CSV Prime Minister
Minister for Finances
Minister for the Armed Forces
Joseph Bech CSV Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Viticulture
Pierre Krier LSAP Minister for Employment
Minister for Social Security
Minister for Mines
Nicholas Margue CSV Minister for Education
Minister for Religion
Minister for the Arts and Science
Minister for Agriculture
Victor Bodson LSAP Minister for Justice
Minister for Transport
Minister for Public Works
Guillaume Konsbruck Ind. Minister for Supply
Minister for Economic Affairs
Eugène Schaus GD Minister for the Interior and War Damage
Charles Marx KPL Minister for Social Assistance
Minister for Public Health

Read more about this topic:  National Union Government (1945)

Famous quotes containing the words forming the, forming and/or government:

    The structure was designed by an old sea captain who believed that the world would end in a flood. He built a home in the traditional shape of the Ark, inverted, with the roof forming the hull of the proposed vessel. The builder expected that the deluge would cause the house to topple and then reverse itself, floating away on its roof until it should land on some new Ararat.
    —For the State of New Jersey, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)

    I heartily wish you, in the plain home-spun style, a great number of happy new years, well employed in forming both your mind and your manners, to be useful and agreeable to yourself, your country, and your friends.
    Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)

    Democracy means government by the uneducated, while aristocracy means government by the badly educated.
    Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)