The executive , also referred to as the juditian or executive power , is that part of government which executes the law; in other words, directly makes the key decisions and holds power.
19-457: A national security council ( NSC ) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security . An NSC is often headed by a national security advisor and staffed with senior-level officials from military, diplomatic, intelligence, law enforcement and other governmental bodies. The functions and responsibilities of an NSC at
38-584: A cabinet-level post may have another title, such as ' Attorney-General ' or ' Postmaster-General '. The term 'minister' also is used in diplomacy, for a diplomat of the second class , such as in the title Minister Plenipotentiary , ranking between an Ambassador and a Minister Resident . The term minister comes from Middle English , deriving from the Old French word ministre , originally minister in Latin , meaning "servant, attendant", which itself
57-510: A given country. In democratic countries, the executive often exercises broad influence over national politics, though limitations are often applied to the executive. In political systems based on the separation of powers , such as the United States of America , government authority is distributed between several branches in order to prevent power being concentrated in the hands of a single person or group. To achieve this, each branch
76-720: A large number of ministers, may designate ministers to be either in the inner or outer ministry or cabinet. In some jurisdictions—such as Hong Kong , Mexico , the Philippines , the United Kingdom , and the United States —holders of an equivalent cabinet-level post are called secretaries (e.g., the Home Secretary in the United Kingdom, Secretary of State in the United States). Some holders of
95-713: A similar body which is not formally part of the executive government. For example, the National Security Commission in China is an organ of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party, and headed by the CCP general secretary , rather than an organ of the executive government. Executive branch The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in
114-413: Is not permitted to be a member of the legislature. Depending on the administrative arrangements in each jurisdiction, ministers are usually heads of a government department and members of the government's ministry, cabinet and perhaps of a committee of cabinet. Some ministers may be more senior than others, and some may hold the title ' assistant minister ' or ' deputy minister '. Some jurisdictions, with
133-404: Is subject to checks by the other two; in general, the role of the legislature is to pass laws, which are then enforced by the executive, and interpreted by the judiciary . The executive can also be the source of certain types of law or law-derived rules, such as a decree or executive order . In those that use fusion of powers , typically parliamentary systems , such as the United Kingdom ,
152-453: Is usually a largely ceremonial monarch or president. Minister (government) 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
171-472: The United States —ministers cannot be members of the legislature, and a legislator chosen to become a minister must resign from the legislature. Normally the leader of the majority party becomes the prime minister , or an office of equivalent function, and selects the other ministers. In the Westminster system, these ministers continue to represent their constituency in parliament while being part of
190-477: The Westminster system of government, ministers are usually required to be members of one of the houses of Parliament or legislature , and are usually from the political party that controls a majority in the lower house of the legislature. In other jurisdictions—such as Belgium , Mexico , Netherlands , Philippines , Slovenia , and Nigeria —the holder of a cabinet-level post or other government official
209-426: The executive ( ministers ), are also members of the legislature, and hence play an important part in both the writing and enforcing of law. In presidential systems , the directly elected head of government appoints the ministers. The ministers can be directly elected by the voters. In this context, the executive consists of a leader or leader of an office or multiple offices. Specifically, the top leadership roles of
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#1732764998880228-459: The executive branch may include: In a presidential system , the leader of the executive is both the head of state and government. In some cases, such as South Korea , there is a Prime Minister who assists the President, but who is not the head of government. In a parliamentary system , a cabinet minister responsible to the legislature is the head of government, while the head of state
247-471: The executive forms the government, and its members generally belong to the political party that controls the legislature. Since the executive requires the support and approval of the legislature, the two bodies are "fused" together, rather than being independent. The principle of parliamentary sovereignty means powers possessed by the executive are solely dependent on those granted by the legislature, which can also subject its actions to judicial review. However,
266-444: The executive often has wide-ranging powers stemming from the control of the government bureaucracy , especially in the areas of overall economic or foreign policy . In parliamentary systems, the executive is responsible to the elected legislature, which must maintain the confidence of the legislature or one part of it, if bicameral. In certain circumstances (varying by state), the legislature can express its lack of confidence in
285-446: The executive, which causes either a change in governing party or group of parties or a general election. Parliamentary systems have a head of government (who leads the executive, often called ministers ) normally distinct from the head of state (who continues through governmental and electoral changes). In the Westminster type of parliamentary system , the principle of separation of powers is not as entrenched as in some others. Members of
304-580: The government. Individuals who are not in parliament may be appointed as a minister, usually in order to bring special skills to the government. In the United Kingdom, a government minister does not have to be a member of either House of Parliament. In practice, however, convention is that ministers must be members of either the House of Commons or House of Lords in order to be accountable to Parliament. From time to time, prime ministers appoint non-parliamentarians as ministers. This can be done by first appointing
323-651: The person to the House of Lords. Various countries form ministries as Cabinets (see List of cabinets ). Other cabinets are usually included in Politics of .. -articles Specific ministers include: Some ministers may hold multiple portfolios and lead several ministries simultaneously, while multiple ministers with separate portfolios may oversee a single ministry, or may also share both ministerial and deputy-ministerial portfolios in different ministries. A cabinet minister can sometimes be in charge of no ministry at all, and
342-730: The strategic state level are different from those of the United Nations Security Council , which is more of a diplomatic forum. Occasionally a nation will be ruled by a similarly named body, such as "the National Security Committee" or "Council for National Security". These bodies are often a result of the establishment or preservation of a military dictatorship (or some other national crisis), do not always have statutory approval, and are usually intended to have transitory or provisional powers. See also: coup d'état . Some nations may have
361-449: Was derived from the word ' minus ' meaning "less". In jurisdictions that use the Westminster system of government—such as the United Kingdom and Australia —ministers or their equivalents are selected from the legislature, and usually from the political party that controls a majority in the lower house of the legislature. In jurisdictions with strict separation of powers —such as Belgium , Mexico , Netherlands , Philippines , and
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