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Minister (government)

 

 
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Minister (government)
 
 
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A minister is a politician
Politician

A politician is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of politics or a person who influences the way a society is governed....
 who holds significant public office in a national or regional government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet, usually led by a monarch, governor-general
Governor-General

The term governor general or governor-general refers to a Viceroy representative of a Monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription....
, or president
President

President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, company, trade unions, university, and country. Etymology, a "president" is one who Wiktionary:Preside, who sits in leadership ....
. In constitutional monarchies
Constitutional monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of constitutional government, where in either an elected or hereditary monarch is the head of state, unlike in an absolute monarchy, wherein the king or the queen is the sole source of political power, as he or she is not legally bound by the constitution....
 the sovereign or vice-regal
Viceroy

A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king....
 representative, and in semi-presidential
Semi-presidential system

The semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a Prime Minister and a president are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state....
 countries the president, is principally advised by a prime minister
Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of Cabinet in the Executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician....
.

term Minister is an Middle English
Middle English

Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman conquest of England of 1066 and about 1470, when the #Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William...
 phrase, stemming from the Old French
Old French

Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
 word ministre, originally minister in Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
, meaning 'servant' .






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Encyclopedia


A minister is a politician
Politician

A politician is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of politics or a person who influences the way a society is governed....
 who holds significant public office in a national or regional government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet, usually led by a monarch, governor-general
Governor-General

The term governor general or governor-general refers to a Viceroy representative of a Monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription....
, or president
President

President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, company, trade unions, university, and country. Etymology, a "president" is one who Wiktionary:Preside, who sits in leadership ....
. In constitutional monarchies
Constitutional monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of constitutional government, where in either an elected or hereditary monarch is the head of state, unlike in an absolute monarchy, wherein the king or the queen is the sole source of political power, as he or she is not legally bound by the constitution....
 the sovereign or vice-regal
Viceroy

A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king....
 representative, and in semi-presidential
Semi-presidential system

The semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a Prime Minister and a president are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state....
 countries the president, is principally advised by a prime minister
Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of Cabinet in the Executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician....
.

Origin

The term Minister is an Middle English
Middle English

Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman conquest of England of 1066 and about 1470, when the #Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William...
 phrase, stemming from the Old French
Old French

Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
 word ministre, originally minister in Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
, meaning 'servant' . In some countries (such as Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
, the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, and the US
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
), such a person can instead be known as a secretary
Secretary

A secretary is either an administrative assistant in administration , or a certain type of mid- or high-level governmental position, such as a Secretary of State....
. The term was and is still also used in diplomacy for second level diplomats (heads of legation
Legation

A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. The distinction between a legation and embassy was dropped following the World War II, as all diplomatic representative offices were now designated as embassies, or high commissions....
s).

Selection

In many parliamentary systems of government, especially those using the Westminster system
Westminster System

The Westminster system is a Democracy parliamentary system of government modelled after the British government . The term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the UK Parliament....
, such as the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 and Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, ministers must be selected from the legislature
Legislature

Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create and change laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law....
. In presidential systems of government such as the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, ministers are appointed by the president
President

President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, company, trade unions, university, and country. Etymology, a "president" is one who Wiktionary:Preside, who sits in leadership ....
, not drawn from the legislature.

Types of ministers

  • Cabinets have ministries in various countries, cf. List of cabinets. Other cabinets are usually included in Politics of ..-articles
  • Lists of incumbents groups lists of ministers by country
  • Specific ministers:
    • Prime minister
      Prime minister

      A prime minister is the most senior minister of Cabinet in the Executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician....
    • Finance minister
      Finance minister

      The finance minister is a Cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, Fiscal policy, and control finances....
    • Foreign minister
      Foreign minister

      A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet Political minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign nation....
    • Defence minister
      Defence minister

      A defence minister is a Cabinet position which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations. The minister usually has a very important role in a cabinet....
    • Information minister
      Information minister

      An information minister is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with information matters....
    • Interior minister
      Interior minister

      An interior ministry is a ministry typically responsible for police, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs....
    • Education minister
    • Environment minister
      Minister of the environment

      An environment minister is a Cabinet position in charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation....
    • Health minister
      Health minister

      A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services....
    • Justice minister
      Justice Minister

      An justice ministry is a Ministry or other government agency charged with justice. The ministry is often headed by a minister for justice....
    • Culture minister
      Minister of culture

      A culture minister is a Cabinet position in some governments responsible for protecting the national heritage of a country and promoting cultural expression....
    • Agriculture minister
    • Transport minister
    • Commerce minister
      Commerce Minister

      A commerce minister is a position in many governments that is responsible for regulating external trade and promoting economic growth. In many countries, this role is separate from a finance minister, who has more budgetary responsibilities....
    • Energy minister
      Energy minister

      An energy minister is a position in many governments responsible for energy production and regulation, developing governmental energy policy, scientific research, and natural resources conservation ethic....
    • Inland revenue minister
      Minister of Inland Revenue

      The Minister of Inland Revenue is the political office of Minister for the department of Inland Revenue which is responsible for the collection of taxes....
    • Public works minister
      Minister of Public Works

      A minister of public works is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with public works matters....
    • sometimes Chancellor
      Chancellor

      Chancellor or chancellour is an official title used in countries whose civilization has arisen directly or indirectly out of the Roman Empire....


See also

  • Minister of the Crown
    Minister of the Crown

    Minister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a Minister to the reigning sovereign. The term indicates that the minister serves in theory At Her Majesty's Pleasure, and advises the monarch, or viceroy, on how to exercise the Crown prerogatives relative to the minister's department or...
  • Ministry (government department)
    Ministry (government department)

    A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a Political minister, but usually a Civil service, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or administrative organisations....
  • Ministry (collective executive)
    Ministry (collective executive)

    A ministry refers to a collective body of government minister s headed by a prime minister or premier. Although the term "cabinet " can in some circumstances be a synonym, a ministry can be a broader concept which might include office-holders that do not participate in cabinet meetings....