first minister

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English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Alternative forms

Noun

first minister (plural first ministers)

  1. The principal minister of a ruler or state.
    • 2016, Peter Ackroyd, Revolution, Pan Macmillan, published 2017, page 339:
      The king, knowing that he had an alternative administration in waiting, accepted the first minister's wish.
  2. (Canada, often in plural) The prime minister or a provincial or territorial premier.
  3. (UK politics) A leader of a devolved government such as Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.
    • 2022 November 20, Steven Morris, “Welsh first minister defends trip to World Cup in Qatar”, in The Guardian‎:
      The Welsh first minister has defended his decision to travel to Qatar for the World Cup, saying he feels that the citizens of Wales want their country’s leader there despite concerns about human rights and working conditions.
    • 2023 March 27, Severin Carrell, Libby Brooks, “Humza Yousaf elected leader of Scottish National party”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:
      Yousaf is almost certain to be confirmed as Scotland’s next first minister in a nominal vote at Holyrood on Tuesday but now has to bridge those divides by bringing the SNP’s warring wings together.

Usage notes

  • The chief officer of the executive branch of the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales is now styled a first minister; historically, the title was used of the head of the British government as well as of analogous posts in various other countries. In Canada it is usually used when considering the federal prime minister and provincial and territorial premiers collectively, e.g. first ministers' conference.

Translations

Further reading

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