Unseated

Unseated is an adjective and past participle form describing someone who has lost or been removed from a seat of authority or a formal position. As a verb, unseat means to remove someone from a seat or from office, often through contest, legal action, or disciplinary procedures. The term is widely used in political contexts to indicate that an incumbent is no longer the representative, whether due to election defeat, disqualification, recall, or expulsion by a governing body.

In parliamentary and legislative settings, unseating usually occurs through an electoral contest in which a challenger wins the seat, or through a formal process that disqualifies the officeholder. When a seat becomes vacant, a by-election or special election may be held to fill it. Unseating can also result from legal or constitutional actions such as a conviction, ineligibility ruling, or censure that removes the individual from office.

The term is often used descriptively rather than prescriptively, as in “the incumbent was unseated in the election.” It does not imply fault or illegality by itself; an unseated official may have been defeated due to electoral dynamics, policy disagreements, or broader political shifts.

Related concepts include recall, expulsion, resignation, and vacancy. The opposite of unseated is seated or reelected, indicating continued tenure in the position.