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Politics & Government vocabulary · Elections and Voting

Mandate

Meaning in politics & government, with examples

/ˈmændeɪt/nounCommon term

In politics & government, mandate means: The authority to govern or to carry out a programme that voters are seen to give a party or leader by electing them; also the period this authority lasts.

In Turkish: seçmenden alınan yetki, yetki, görev süresi

How it is used

Winners claim a clear or strong mandate, or a mandate for change. Critics may argue that a government has no mandate for a policy that was not in its manifesto. In international organizations, mandate also means the official task given to a body.

Example sentences

  1. The new government says it has a clear mandate to reform the tax system.

  2. Critics argue that such a narrow win is not a mandate for major change.

Common collocations

  • a clear mandate
  • a strong mandate
  • a mandate for change
  • win a mandate
  • electoral mandate
  • 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.
  • landslideAn election victory in which one candidate or party wins a very large number of votes or seats, far more than its rivals.
  • manifestoA written statement in which a political party sets out its aims and the policies it promises to introduce if it wins an election.
  • term of officeThe fixed period of time during which an elected or appointed person, such as a president, mayor or MP, holds an official position.
  • ruling partyThe political party that is in power and forms the government, either alone or as the largest member of a coalition.

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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