mandate
noun /ˈmandeɪt 
/
/1An official order or commission to do something: a mandate to seek the release of political prisoners...
- Even some local trade officials ignored the new mandates to recruit women.
- Although my official mandate was to study Pakistani farmers, I was obliged to give equal attention to foresters.
- The Human Rights Commission has the mandate to receive and investigate allegations of discrimination.
Synonyms
instruction, directive, direction, decree, command, order, injunction, edict, charge, commission, bidding, warrant, ruling, ordinance, law, statute, fiat;
in Tsarist Russia ukase;
in Spanish-speaking countries pronunciamento
1.1 Law A commission by which a party is entrusted to perform a service, especially without payment and with indemnity against loss by that party.In two of the four cases the solicitors received signed mandates from the purported owners for the funds to be telegraphically transferred to a third party....
- In carrying out its mandate, the Commission receives, analyses, and investigates individual petitions alleging violations of human rights.
- A Call Center for tourist information is in the works, and tourist police have a mandate to provide service and protection for visitors.
1.2A written authorization enabling someone to carry out transactions on another’s bank account.A forged cheque is not a valid mandate, and the bank cannot debit the customer's account....
- If that were right one would expect to see wives being independently advised before signing a typical mandate for a joint account.
- He showed his value pretty quickly, pointing out that banks must have a legal mandate to debit someone's account.
1.3 historical A commission from the League of Nations to a member state to administer a territory: the end of the British mandate in Palestine...
- For the next 25 years, Syria was governed by French colonial administrators under a mandate from the League of Nations.
- Another category of dependent imperial territory was formed by League of Nations mandates.
- After the war, Japan continued to rule the islands under a mandate from the League of Nations.
2The authority to carry out a policy, regarded as given by the electorate to a party or candidate that wins an election: he called an election to seek a mandate for his policies...
- Newly elected ministers invariably choose to regard an election victory as conferring a mandate on their policies.
- Perhaps politicians should seek a new mandate from the electorate if they are unable to fulfil their promises.
- The ones who win and form the next government would thus have the mandate to pursue their policies and programmes.
Synonyms
authority, approval, acceptance, ratification, endorsement;
sanction, authorization
2.1Canadian A period during which a government is in power: the last mandate of Trudeau, from 1980 to 1984, was a remarkable chapter in Canadian history...
- Third parties may not always directly influence an election, but they do set the tone for what is discussed and start the next mandate off on a particular foot.
- In August 2002, he announced that he would not seek a fourth mandate, but would serve until 2004.
verb /manˈdeɪt / [with object]
/ [with object]1Give (someone) authority to act in a certain way: the rightful king was mandated and sanctioned by God...
- Having made this judgment, the Security Council may then mandate the US and its allies to use force in order to remove him.
- With the money, it will acquire and restructure more mills, as mandated by the State Council.
- Well, the problem here is, the ballot initiatives mandate something like 70 percent of the spending in the budget.
1.1Require (something) to be done; make mandatory: the government began mandating better car safety...
- Current Army requirements mandate change in order to move into the future.
- For such patients, it may be unrealistic to mandate abstinence as a requirement for treatment.
- The federal government has begun mandating it, and they insist that their architects earn at least a bronze rating.
2 (be mandated to) historical (Of territory) be assigned to (another power) under a mandate of the League of Nations: (as adjective mandated) mandated territories
Origin
Early 16th century: from Latin mandatum 'something commanded', neuter past participle of mandare, from manus 'hand' + dare 'give'. Sense 2 of the noun has been influenced by French mandat.