(Redirected from First minister)The term 'First Minister' refers to the leader of a
cabinet.
Canada
: ''See also:
premier (Canada)''
In
Canada, 'First Ministers' is a collective term that refers to all Canadian
Heads of Government, including the
Prime Minister of Canada and the
provincial and territorial premiers. It is used in such formulae as "
first ministers' meetings."
In
Newfoundland and Labrador, the
Inuit self-governing region of
Nunatsiavut provides for a First Minister responsible to the Nunatsiavut Assembly.
Norway
The
head of government of Norway was called First Minister () between 1814 and 1873, while it was in
personal union with Sweden. In 1893, 12 years prior to the
dissolution of the union, it was upgraded to Prime Minister (''statsminister'').
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the term 'First Minister' was once used interchangeably with
Prime Minister, as in
Winston Churchill's famous line: "I did not become Her Majesty's First Minister so that I might oversee the liquidation of the British Empire!"
Nowadays, the term is used to describe the leader of the
devolved governments of
Scotland,
Wales, and
Northern Ireland. See
★
First Minister of Northern Ireland
★
First Minister of Scotland
★
First Minister of Wales
Other
The title 'First Minister' may be used to refer to the political leader of a subnational entity or a dependent territory.
George Price held the office of First Minister of
Belize between
1961 and
1964, when the title was changed to
Premier. In
Germany, the first minister in the federal states is known as the
Minister-Präsident.
See also
★
Chief Minister
★
First Secretary