minister

Also known as government minister, cabinet minister, cabinet secretary, secretary of a government department

politician who holds significant civil public office in a national or regional government, generally heading a ministry

AI overview

A minister is a politician who holds a significant position in national or regional government, typically running an entire ministry or department. This role matters because ministers make important decisions about major areas of public life like health, education, or defense, directly shaping government policy and how it affects citizens.

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Wikidata facts

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female form of label: ministrica
male form of label: hiministeran
Commons category: Government ministers
equivalent class: reference.data.gov.uk/def/central-government/Minister
ISCO-08 occupation class: 1111
ISCO-88 occupation class: 1110

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Article

A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the 'prime minister', 'premier', 'chief minister', 'chancellor' or other title.

In Commonwealth realm jurisdictions which use the Westminster system of government—such as the United Kingdom and Australia—ministers are usually required to be members of one of the houses of Parliament or legislature—or to be appointed to one if not—and are usually from the political party that controls a majority in the lower house of the legislature. These ministers continue to represent their constituency in parliament while being part of the government. In other jurisdictions with strict separation of powers—such as Belgium, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Slovenia, and Nigeria—the holder of a cabinet-level post or other government official is not permitted to be a member of the legislature and must resign if chosen.