Deputy Prime Minister of Quixotica

Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Quixotica
Incumbent Office abolished since September 28, 2018
Style	His / Her / Their Excellency
Residence	The Constituency of whomever is serving as Deputy Prime Minister
Term length	Three months, can be renewed indefinitely (serves at the pleasure of the Monarch)
Inaugural holder	Michael Pudak
Formation	May 29, 2017
Salary	None (Pro Bono)

The Deputy Prime Minister of Quixotica served as both the primary aid to the Prime Minister and as the first in the line of succession if the Quixotican Premiership ever became vacant. Salvatore Miller was the last person to hold the position after being appointed by the Monarch on July 25, 2018.

Role of the Deputy Prime Minister

The primary job of the Deputy Prime Minister was to aid the incumbent Premier in the organization and management of the Advisory Council as well as the representation of said council's opinions to the reigning Monarch. It was for this reason that candidates for Prime Minister were encouraged to choose a running mate well equipped to and genuinely interested in helping them do their job should they be elected.

Another important role of the Deputy Prime Minister was the office's part in the continuity of Quixotican government in the event of national crises. If the Prime Minister resigned, was removed from office, dies, or had been deemed otherwise unable to do their job then the Deputy Prime Minister would assume the position of Prime Minister. If both the offices of Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister were suddenly vacant, the Minister of Foreign Relations would take office as Premier. If all three offices were made suddenly vacant, then the senior-most noble in the Advisory Council was to serve as the Prime Minister.

The Deputy Prime Minister could not call meetings of the Advisory Council without the consent of the Prime Minister, unless said Prime Minister was otherwise temporarily unable to fulfill their duties and or the fate of the nation was at stake.

The Deputy Prime Minister was elected by his or her peers every three months alongside the Prime Minister to serve a term of the same duration. A candidate for Prime Minister nominated that person which they feel would be the greatest help to them as Premier for Deputy Prime Minister and the two would run together on a shared ticket. The day the Advisory Council elected a Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister was the same day those people shall take office. A person not currently serving on the Advisory council could be elected Deputy Prime Minister by said council if the normal majority of votes was achieved, however, that person must be given an official title of nobility before they can begin their Deputy Premiership.

In the event that the office of Deputy Prime Minister would become vacant, the Monarch was to appoint a person to the position whom they feel would work well with the current Prime Minister. The Monarch retained the right to remove the Deputy Prime Minister from office at any time. The Advisory Council could also remove the Deputy from office upon suspicion of treason, misrepresentation of council opinion, unlawful biases, and or general wrongdoing.

Eligibility

To serve as the Deputy Prime Minister one had to be at least 14 years of age, a Quixotican citizen, know the Monarch, and be willing to adopt a title of nobility if none is already held. The reigning Monarch was barred from running for the office of Deputy Prime Minister regardless of whether or not they hold peerages on their own Advisory Council. If someone has been removed from office as Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister by the Advisory Council, at any point in their political career, they were to be considered ineligible for the position in all subsequent elections for the office.

Non-voting canine members of the Advisory Council were permitted election to the office of Deputy Prime Minister, but remain ineligible for the Premiership. However, such a canine would have to have been "above the age of four (human) years" to have served on the Council in the first place.

List of Deputy Prime Ministers

Deputy Prime Minister			Tenure	Other Ministerial Offices held whilst Deputy Prime Minister	Party		Term	Prime Minister		Monarch
None, position yet to be established May 20, 2017 - May 29, 2017							1 (May, 2017)		Dylan R. Light	Miles I April 11, 2017 - August 3, 2018
1		Michael Pudak	May 30, 2017 – August 4, 2017	None		Independent
Office vacant, none elected August 4, 2017 - September 29, 2017							2 (August, 2017)
2		Jack Lea	September 29, 2017 – November 11, 2017	None		Traditionalist
3		Stephanie Eaton	November 11, 2017 – March 23, 2018	None		Independent	3 (November, 2017)
						Wool Hat	4 (February, 2018)
Office vacant by ascension March 23, 2018 - May 19, 2018
									Stephanie Eaton
Office vacant, none elected May 19, 2018 - July 25, 2018
							5 (May, 2018)
4		Salvatore Miller	July 25, 2018 – September 28, 2018	None		Independent
							6 (August, 2018)		Esther Eaton	Stephanie August 3, 2018 - September 28, 2018

Inaugural Procedure and Oath

The Deputy Prime Minister was supposed to be inaugurated the same day they are elected. So far, there has only been two elected Deputy Premiers, and the first one ever appointed was never given an official inauguration or oath-taking ceremony. The only Deputy Prime Minister to be officially inaugurated was Jack Lea.

The edict that created the position specified the winning candidate for Deputy Prime Minister (or person appointed to the position) be sworn in by the reigning Monarch via the following oath:

I [full name, title of nobility] do officially accept the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter.
I enter this office in the interests of the Premier, and shall do my best to that end
(so help me God).

Upon the conclusion of the oath's recital, the reigning Monarch traditionally would congratulate the new Deputy Prime Minister by shaking their hand. Usually two photos and a video of the oath-taking were captured during a Quixotican inauguration ceremony.

The oath was noted for its shortness and almost abrupt nature, something that was done deliberately under the assumption that a person being elected (or appointed) Deputy Prime Minister would generally prefer less ceremony. There were been proposals to lengthen the oath to better reflect the duties of the office and its importance in Quixotican politics, but in the end no edict has been issued to alter the oath's wording. The inauguration ceremony for a Deputy Prime Minister was often forgoed and was therefore de facto non-mandatory.

List of Deputy Prime Ministerial Firsts

The following list is a list of distinctions achieved by the various Deputy Prime Ministers of the Kingdom of Quixotica.

Michael Pudak

• First Deputy Prime Minister.
• First person appointed Deputy Prime Minister.
• First Deputy Prime Minister to not seek a second term.

Jack Lea

• First Deputy Prime Minister to be a member of a particular political party.
• First Deputy Prime Minister to be inaugurated.

Stephanie Eaton

• First person elected Deputy Prime Minister.
• First female Deputy Prime Minister.
• First Deputy Prime Minister to also be a member of the Royal Family.
• First Deputy Prime Minister to win re-election.
• First Deputy Prime Minister to win election having been nominated by a particular political party.
• First Deputy Prime Minister to ascend to the Premiership upon a Prime Minister being removed from office.

Salvatore Miller

• First person to serve as Deputy Prime Minister under two different Ministries.