Editing Bajoran (section)

===Provisional Government===

The provisional government was set up after the occupation of Bajor by Cardassia ended in 2369. It consisted of a council of elected officials headed by the First Minister and was responsible for administration of the planet and to a certain extent Deep Space Nine. A three-part arc, "[[The Homecoming (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|The Homecoming]]", "[[The Circle (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|The Circle]]", and "[[The Siege (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|The Siege]]", featured a story about the Provisional Government and its inability to resolve an explosive political revolution. In the immediate aftermath of the Cardassian withdrawal, many characters felt the provisional government would collapse within a matter of weeks, leading to civil war (which the Cardassians might use as an excuse to return to "restore order"). Sisko managed to convince Kai Opaka to declare the support of the Bajoran religious hierarchy for the new government, which prevented it from outright collapsing. In the early seasons of the TV series the provisional government is shaky and precarious, but over time by the later seasons of the TV series it grew more stable, particularly after the election of First Minister Shakaar.