Mandate

A mandate is a formal authorization or instruction to act on behalf of another person or authority. The term comes from the Latin mandare, meaning to entrust. It is used in legal, political, and organizational contexts to denote a duty, authority, or task assigned to someone.

In political and electoral contexts, a mandate refers to the authority granted to an elected official or government to pursue a particular program or agenda. A mandate may be described as a clear public endorsement, though it is not a guarantee of policy success and can be interpreted differently by stakeholders. Mandates can be tested by elections, legislative votes, or the public’s response to policy outcomes.

In international law, the term also designated a specific framework used after World War I, whereby a metropolitan state administered a territory on behalf of the League of Nations. This system, known as a mandate, was intended to prepare territories for self-government and evolved into later forms of trusteeship and decolonization.

In civil-law jurisdictions, a mandate is a contract in which a person (the mandatary) agrees to perform actions on behalf of another (the mandator). The mandatary acts in the name of the mandator, and the contract defines the scope of authority. A mandate is distinct from a power of attorney, which concerns authority to act in one’s own name; a mandate often carries fiduciary duties and can be revocable by the mandator.

In organizational or governmental contexts, a mandate can also refer to a directive, mission, or objective issued to a team or department to guide actions and priorities.