Mandate (politics)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In politics, a mandate is the authority granted by a constituency to act as its representative.[1]

The concept of a government having a legitimate mandate to govern via the fair winning of a democratic election is a central idea of representative democracy. New governments who attempt to introduce policies that they did not make public during an election campaign are said not to have a legitimate mandate to implement such policies.

Elections, especially ones with a large margin of victory, and are often said to give the newly elected government or elected official an implicit mandate to put into effect certain policies.[2] When a government seeks re-election they may introduce new policies as part of the campaign and are hoping for approval from the voters, and say they are seeking a "new mandate". Governments and elected officials may use language of a "mandate" to lend legitimacy to actions that they take in office.[3]

In some languages, a "mandate" can mean a parliamentary seat won in an election rather than the electoral victory itself. In case such a mandate is bound to the wishes of the electorate, it is an imperative mandate, otherwise it is called "free".

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References[]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ "Mandate". Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  2. ^ Glossary | Elections ACT. Jul 2012. http://www.elections.act.gov.au/glossary (cf., The Government's claim that once elected they have the right and responsibility to implement their policies.)
  3. ^ Azari 2014.

Bibliography[]

  • Azari, Julia R. (2014). Delivering the People's Message: The Changing Politics of the Presidential Mandate. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-5224-6. JSTOR 10.7591/j.ctt5hh0ft.
  • "Doctrine of Mandate". A dictionary of political phrases and allusions: with a short bibliography By Hugh Montgomery, Philip George Cambray.

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