For (finitary) deductive systems, we formulate a signature‐independent abstraction of the weak excluded middle law (WEML), which strengthens the existing general notion of an inconsistency lemma (IL). Of special interest is the case where a quasivariety algebraizes a deductive system ⊢. We prove that, in this case, if ⊢ has a WEML (in the general sense) then every relatively subdirectly irreducible member of has a greatest proper ‐congruence; the converse holds if ⊢ has an inconsistency lemma. The result extends, in (...) a suitable form, to all protoalgebraic logics. A super‐intuitionistic logic possesses a WEML iff it extends. We characterize the IL and the WEML for normal modal logics and for relevance logics. A normal extension of has a global consequence relation with a WEML iff it extends, while every axiomatic extension of with an IL has a WEML. (shrink)