mandate
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mandate
The official authority and legitimacy that an elected representative receives from voters in order to represent their interests in a parliament.
Der Politiker hat bei der letzten Wahl ein Direktmandat für den Bundestag errungen.
In the last election, the politician won a direct mandate for the Bundestag.
'Mandat' (mandate) is a formal word from specialized language and comes from the Latin 'mandatum' (assignment/order). It is mainly used in the areas of politics, law, and finance.
Ohne ein Mandat des Sicherheitsrates ist der Militäreinsatz völkerrechtswidrig.
Without a mandate from the Security Council, the military operation violates international law.
Certain verbs are used with 'Mandat' (mandate) in several meanings. Typical ones are 'ein Mandat erteilen' (to grant/give a mandate), 'ein Mandat erhalten/erringen' (to receive/win a mandate), and 'ein Mandat niederlegen' (to resign from/give up a mandate).
Der Anwalt hat sein Mandat aus persönlichen Gründen niedergelegt.
The lawyer resigned from his mandate for personal reasons.
In a political context, you can recognize this meaning from words such as 'Wähler' (voter), 'Abgeordneter' (representative), 'Partei' (party), or 'Parlament' (parliament). It is about the mandate to represent voters' interests.
Nach dem schlechten Wahlergebnis verlor die Partei mehrere Mandate.
After the poor election result, the party lost several seats.
In a legal context, you can recognize the meaning from words such as 'Anwalt' (lawyer), 'Mandant' (client), or 'Klient' (client). Here it means the assignment to represent someone legally.
Der berühmte Strafverteidiger übernimmt nur selten neue Mandate.
The famous criminal defense lawyer only rarely takes on new mandates.
In a financial context, you can recognize the meaning from words such as 'Konto' (account), 'Bank' (bank), 'Lastschrift' (direct debit), or 'SEPA'. Here it means permission for a debit.
Bitte erteilen Sie uns ein SEPA-Lastschriftmandat, um die Gebühren abzubuchen.
Please grant us a SEPA direct debit mandate to debit the fees.
office / agency
'das Amt' and 'das Mandat' can both have to do with an official political role. 'das Amt' means the function itself, that is, the position with its tasks and duties. 'das Mandat' mainly means the authority and authorization that an elected person receives from voters in order to represent them. The words can be confused because both sound official. Put simply: you hold or carry out an 'Amt'; you receive a 'Mandat' through an election or assignment.
Nach der Wahl nimmt sie ihr Mandat im Parlament an.
After the election, she accepts her mandate in parliament.
Wir wissen, dass dieses Amt viel Verantwortung bedeutet.
We know that this office comes with a lot of responsibility.