Unelected PMs

I saw a graphic yesterday about how 12 out of 24 recent Prime Ministers became Prime Minister without winning a general election. They are:

  1. Gordon Brown
  2. John Major
  3. Jim Callaghan
  4. Alec Douglas-Home
  5. Harold Macmillan
  6. Anthony Eden'
  7. Winston Churchill
  8. Neville Chamberlain
  9. Stanley Baldwin
  10. David Lloyd George
  11. HH Asquith
  12. Arthur Balfour

I assumed their high proportion was because of their five year terms, but have a look at NZ PMs and came in via an election and not.

Elected

  1. Key
  2. Clark
  3. Bolger
  4. Lange
  5. Muldoon
  6. Kirk
  7. Nash
  8. Holland
  9. Savage

Replaced PM

  1. Shipley
  2. Moore
  3. Palmer
  4. Rowling
  5. Marshall
  6. Holyoake
  7. Fraser

So fairly close. And in :

Elected

  1. Abbott
  2. Rudd
  3. Howard
  4. Hawke
  5. Whitlam

Replaced PM

  1. Turnbull
  2. Gillard
  3. Keating
  4. Fraser
  5. McMahon
  6. Gorton
  7. McEwen
  8. Holt
  9. Menzies

So in Australia most PMs first became PM without an election.

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