Ok, so I can see we’re going to have this conversation a metric fuck-ton the next few days, so here’s: **How a West Minister Parliamentary Democracy Works (specifically Canada):** 1) You do *not* vote for a Prime Minister. You never have and you never will. 2) It is a conventioned role. It does not exist is law. It has no executive authority beyond the scope of the parliament. 3) The Prime Minister and the cabinet formally serve at appointment of the Crown, or Crown representative in this case the Governor General. The Prime Minister, is simply a rep aimed to keeping the House of Commons functioning. 4) The executive authority that something like the US President has, instead belongs to the collective House of Commons. 5) In modern times, this appointment goes most often to the individual with a majority, or plurality of party seats, but it is not required to. It can go to any person who can “best receive the support and confidence of a majority of the elected members of the House of Commons” 6) You as a citizen, vote for your ridings member of the House of Commons. That’s it. 7) Each party votes for who they want to lead their party. 8) The Governor General will dissolve a parliament that has no confidence, or cannot function. Otherwise the parliament runs until its next mandatory election time. 9) There is no requirement for who can or cannot be the Prime Minister. The Governor General could indeed ask someone who is *not* in parliament to attempt to be Prime Minister, because they do not hold executive authority. Instead, they’d need to win over enough support of members to constantly stay in power. 10) If a Prime Minister resigns, it’s up to the Governor General on behalf of the Monarch to decide who next may form the Prime Ministerial post. They may allow the outgoing party to hold elections, let that person form a government, and then only if that party fails a vote of confidence call an election. 11) There is no requirement for a Prime Minister to have an MP seat. Prime Minister Abbott and Prime Minister Bowell both literally *never* held seats in the House of Commons whilst Prime Minister. The winning of a seat is a modern convention that is now expected as it gives a party confidence, but, it is not requires. 12) The expectation is because the PM has no executive authority, you vote for the MPs who believe represent your values. Since they are the ones setting the agenda and voting on the laws, it’s those people who matter. The PM is mostly a figurehead/scapegoat. 13) While the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms requires set *maximum* election cycles, the Prime Minister technically serves at the pleasure of the King, and technically the Governor General on behalf of the King may even refuse to hold an election, such as in a time of war, etc. (This has only happened once in Canadian history during the King-Byng affair) 14) While the PM is technically a head of government and not head of state, and has the job of advising the King on the management of Canada, in modern times, the monarch delegates those duties to the PMO (Prime Ministers Office) such as appointments etc. So all in: -“unelected PM” is a dumb statement people make, because all Prime Ministers are “unelected PMs” as you do not vote for the PM. -The only thing that you have a vote in, is your local rep. -The only role that matters for the PM is can they get enough MPs on board. -The obligations of election, are extremely fucking limited, and ultimately all that matters is who would form government (NDP isn’t about to coalition with Conservatives) -In Canada, if the election term is not up, and there hasn’t been a vote of no confidence, the party can replace the Prime Minister without the need for an election, with consent of the Governor General and outgoing PM. Please read a book, before complaining about a system you don’t understand.