Selecting a Minister for Magic

[Tim the Enchanter]

In a parliamentary system like Britain's, the Prime Minister is simply selected by the majority party, or a majority party coalition. And the people who determine the majority party are the electorate - the masses of plebs, to put it simply.

However, though the Ministry of Magic seems to have some nominal similarities to Britain's system of government, what is not clear is how the Minister for Magic is determined, or who votes (if at all), or even if anybody in the wizarding world has any political voice at all.

So, how does the political process in Magical Britain work? I have a theory that it is the Wizengamot that decides who the Minister for Magic would be. Somebody nominates a candidate, another person nominates another person in opposition, and once all the candidates are sorted out, the Wizengamot votes by a simple show of hands. And if the Wizengamot decides that the Minister for Magic isn't doing his job properly, then they vote to get rid of him (like Fudge) and replace him with a new person (like Scrimgeour).

Does my theory make sense? Does anyone have any alternative suggestions as to how the Minister for Magic is selected?

Tim the Enchanter

[Halgy]

There was no other legislative body mentioned in the books, and it does seem that the Wizengamot is part legislature, part supreme court. Makes sense to me for them to choose the Minister.

[Racing Co]

This reminds me ... do you think ministers have terms of office? Or do they just rule the ministry indefinitely until a majority of people become displeased?

As for Fudge's departure, it seems to simple just to oust him by a raise of hands. It seems like he'd been mired in unpopularity for about a year or so. I would suggest that to impeach the minister, the Wizengamot has to bring forward some sort of legitimate charges first. With Fudge, it seems like that would be fairly easy, considering the failure to catch Sirius and the disappearances.

It doesn't really seem like the Wizengamot is a representative government, and it also appears that everyone in the Wizengamot has a full time job (usually within the ministry) in addition to their, er, courtly duties. I wonder if the group has any rule-making power, or if that ability is given only to the specific departments or the minister himself.

[Phoenix5225]

I would agree that the Wizengamot would choose the Minister. Somewhere in the series, doesn't it say (sorry, no books immediately available) that Dumbledore was ASKED twice to be Minister? That certainly makes it sound like an appointed position, and since we don't hear of any other law making body (though it certainly stands that there COULD be - what a fic that would make, wizarding elections...) the Wizenmagot seems a logical choice.

As for terms, I haven't seen any indication there is one. I don't know if it's just until the Minister irritates enough people or not, but it does almost seem as if the Minister could be "employed" by the Wizenmagot and subsequently "fired" when they've had enough.

[Tim the Enchanter]

This reminds me ... do you think ministers have terms of office? Or do they just rule the ministry indefinitely until a majority of people become displeased?

As for Fudge's departure, it seems to simple just to oust him by a raise of hands. It seems like he'd been mired in unpopularity for about a year or so. I would suggest that to impeach the minister, the Wizengamot has to bring forward some sort of legitimate charges first. With Fudge, it seems like that would be fairly easy, considering the failure to catch Sirius and the disappearances.

It doesn't really seem like the Wizengamot is a representative government, and it also appears that everyone in the Wizengamot has a full time job (usually within the ministry) in addition to their, er, courtly duties. I wonder if the group has any rule-making power, or if that ability is given only to the specific departments or the minister himself.

There is no term of office for the Muggle Prime Minister. He (or she, in the case of Thatcher) simply stays in power for as long as his party or party coalition retains a majority in Parliament. However, a PM could also lose his position by dying or being rendered invalid somehow, by resigning, or by being voted out of office by a vote of no confidence. Since there aren't any political parties in the wizarding world (that we're aware of), the Minister for Magic would probably stay in office until he dies, retires or resigns, or is voted out.

As for lawmaking powers, I do believe it is up to the individual departments to do that , and that is quite a fatal flaw in my opinion. Individual departments can make up their own laws without any sort of oversight, witness how Arthur Weasley wrote that Misuse of Muggle Artefacts law with a loophole to allow him to tinker with the flying Ford Anglia.

I would agree that the Wizengamot would choose the Minister. Somewhere in the series, doesn't it say (sorry, no books immediately available) that Dumbledore was ASKED twice to be Minister? That certainly makes it sound like an appointed position, and since we don't hear of any other law making body (though it certainly stands that there COULD be - what a fic that would make, wizarding elections...) the Wizenmagot seems a logical choice.

As for terms, I haven't seen any indication there is one. I don't know if it's just until the Minister irritates enough people or not, but it does almost seem as if the Minister could be "employed" by the Wizenmagot and subsequently "fired" when they've had enough.

I forgot about Dumbledore being asked to be Minister for Magic, so thanks for mentioning that. I think that it makes sense that the Minister for Magic is nominated and chosen by some group in the Ministry of Magic, and the only such group that seems to match that description is the Wizengamot.

Now, here's another question: Do you think the Ministry of Magic has any sort of Constitution or similar legal document, or do you think the entire governing process is more or less arbitrary and only based on an accepted way of doing things?

Tim the Enchanter

[Racing Co]

Now, here's another question: Do you think the Ministry of Magic has any sort of Constitution or similar legal document, or do you think the entire governing process is more or less arbitrary and only based on an accepted way of doing things?

I doubt there'd be a formal document that sets the groundwork for the whole political system. It seems a little too regulating for a whole way of life that's pretty whimsical to begin with. I'd guess the Ministry does what it's always done; it looks in every way like a government based on tradition and accepted patterns. Probably the only government documents are rules and regulations written after the Ministry was formed.

(By the way, Tim, thanks for pointing out the whole terms thing to me. Ah, I have much to learn about governments outside of my own!)