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Politics & Government vocabulary · Elections and Voting

Candidate

Meaning in politics & government, with examples

/ˈkændɪdət/nounCore term

In politics & government, candidate means: A person who is officially trying to be elected to a position, such as member of parliament, mayor or president.

In Turkish: aday

How it is used

Parties nominate, select or put forward candidates, and candidates stand (UK) or run (US) for office. News reports compare the leading candidates, independent candidates and presidential candidates.

Example sentences

  1. Five candidates are standing in the mayoral election.

  2. The party will announce its candidate for the capital next month.

Common collocations

  • presidential candidate
  • independent candidate
  • nominate a candidate
  • leading candidate
  • candidate list
  • run for officeTo try to be elected to a public position, such as mayor, member of parliament or president, by standing as a candidate.
  • electionAn organized process in which people vote to choose a person or group for an official position, such as members of parliament, a president or a mayor.
  • incumbentThe person who currently holds an official position, especially one who is standing for election again against new candidates.
  • campaignA planned series of activities, such as speeches, advertisements and meetings with voters, that a candidate or party carries out to win an election.
  • endorseTo say publicly that you support a candidate, party, policy or proposal, usually hoping to persuade others to support it too.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Elections and Voting

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