Leader of the Opposition - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government

Opposition (parliamentary)

Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...

in a Westminster System

Westminster System

The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

of parliamentary government. The Leader of the Opposition is often seen as the alternative Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

, Premier

Premier

Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...

or Chief Minister

Chief Minister

A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...

to the present incumbent, and heads a rival alternative government known as the Shadow Cabinet

Shadow Cabinet

The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...

or Opposition Front Bench.

In many Commonwealth realm

Commonwealth Realm

A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...

s the full title is Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

For information about the leader of the opposition in a particular parliament, see the following:

List of Australian Opposition Leaders
- Leader of the Opposition (Australian Capital Territory)
  Leader of the Opposition (Australian Capital Territory)
  The Leader of the Opposition of the Australian Capital Territory is an official role usually occupied by the leader of the second largest party or coalition in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly...
- Leader of the Opposition (New South Wales)
  Leader of the Opposition (New South Wales)
  The role of the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in New South Wales is a title held by the leader of the largest minority party in the state lower house, the New South Wales Legislative Assembly...
- Leader of the Opposition (Northern Territory)
  Leader of the Opposition (Northern Territory)
  The Leader of the Opposition of the Northern Territory is an official role usually occupied by the leader of the second largest party in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly...
- Leader of the Opposition (Queensland)
  Leader of the Opposition (Queensland)
  This is a list of Leaders of the Opposition in Queensland. Prior to 1898, opposition to the government of the day was less organised. Thus the Queensland Parliamentary Record does not designate Leaders of the Opposition before then....
- Leader of the Opposition (South Australia)
  Leader of the Opposition (South Australia)
  The Leader of the Opposition in South Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties, known as the Opposition, in the House of Assembly of the Parliament of South Australia. By convention, he or she is generally a member of the House of Assembly...
- Leader of the Opposition (Tasmania)
  Leader of the Opposition (Tasmania)
  The role of Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania is a title held by the leader of the largest minority party in the state lower house, the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He or she acts as the public face of the opposition, leading the government on the floor of parliament...
- Leader of the Opposition (Victoria)
  Leader of the Opposition (Victoria)
  The Leader of the Opposition in Victoria is the leader of the largest political party in parliament but not in government. He or she is always a member of the Legislative Assembly...
- Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
  Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
  The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia. By convention, he or she is generally a member of the Legislative Assembly...
Leader of the Opposition (Canada)
Leader of the Opposition (Canada)
The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , or simply the Leader of the Opposition is the leader of Canada's Official Opposition, the party with the most seats in the House of Commons that is not a member of the government...
- Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Canada)
  Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Canada)
  In Canada, the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Senate is the leader of the senate caucus of the largest party in the Senate that is not in government. The position is appointed by the leader of the party that forms the opposition in the Senate...
- Leader of the Opposition (Alberta)
- Leader of the Opposition (British Columbia)
  Leader of the Opposition (British Columbia)
  The Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia is the MLA in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia who leads the political party recognized as the Official Opposition. This status generally goes to the leader of the second largest party in the Legislative Assembly....
- Leader of the Opposition (Manitoba)
  Leader of the Opposition (Manitoba)
  A list of parliamentary opposition leaders in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Canada, from 1870 to the present.William Alexander Macdonald was the first officially recognized Leader of the Opposition in Manitoba although Rodmond Roblin is considered to have been the de facto opposition leader...
- Leader of the Opposition (New Brunswick)
  Leader of the Opposition (New Brunswick)
  The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government....
- Leader of the Opposition (Newfoundland and Labrador)
  Leader of the Opposition (Newfoundland and Labrador)
  The Leader of the Opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.This list is incomplete...
- Leader of the Opposition (Nova Scotia)
  Leader of the Opposition (Nova Scotia)
  The Leader of the Opposition in Nova Scotia is the MLA in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly who leads the political party recognized as the Official Opposition. This status generally goes to the leader of the second largest party in the Legislative Assembly...
- Leader of the Opposition (Ontario)
  Leader of the Opposition (Ontario)
  The Leader of the Opposition in Ontario is usually leader of the largest party in the Ontario legislature which is not the government. The current official opposition is formed by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, and Tim Hudak is the current Leader of the Opposition.Ontario's first...
- Leader of the Opposition (PEI)
  Leader of the Opposition (PEI)
  The Leader of the Opposition in Prince Edward Island is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.This list is incomplete...
- Leader of the Official Opposition (Quebec)
  Leader of the Official Opposition (Quebec)
  This is a list of the leaders of the opposition party of Quebec, Canada since Confederation .Note that the leader of the Opposition is not always the leader of the political party with the second-largest number of seats, in cases where the leader of that party does not have a seat.There was no...
- Leader of the Opposition (Saskatchewan)
  Leader of the Opposition (Saskatchewan)
  A list of parliamentary opposition leaders in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, from 1906 to the present. There was no designated Leader of the Opposition for the sessions of 1921 and 1922.In the period 1925-1929 C.E. Tran and J.T.M...
- Leader of the Opposition (Yukon)
Leader of the Opposition (Croatia)
Leader of the Opposition (Dominica)
Leader of the Opposition (Dominica)
The Leader of the Opposition of the Commonwealth of Dominica is the Member of Parliament who leads the Official Opposition in the House of Assembly of Dominica...
Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)
Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)
The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It did not originate in Fiji but has a long tradition; in British constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready...
Leader of the Opposition (Greece)
Leader of the Opposition (Greece)
The Leader of the Opposition is the politician who leads the official Opposition in Greece.The Leader of the Opposition is normally the leader of the largest party not within the government, which is usually the second largest political party in the Parliament of the Hellenes.The current Leader of...
Leader of the Opposition (India)
Leader of the Opposition (India)
Each House of the Parliament of India has a Leader of the Opposition. While the position also existed in the former Central Legislative Assembly of British India, and holders of it there included Motilal Nehru, it got statutory recognition through the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition...
Leader of the Opposition (Ireland)
Leader of the Opposition (Ireland)
The Leader of the Opposition in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who, de facto, leads the Parliamentary Opposition in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. The current incumbent is Micheál Martin TD of the Fianna Fáil party....
Leader of the Opposition (Israel)
Leader of the Opposition (Israel)
The Leader of the Opposition , is the politician who leads the Official Opposition in the Israeli legislative body, the Knesset.-Until 2000:Until 2000, the role of the Opposition Leader was not an official position, but rather an honorary role...
Leader of the Opposition (Malaysia)
Leader of the Opposition (Malta)
Leader of the Opposition (Malta)
The Leader of the Opposition of Malta is by convention the leader of the most powerful party in the House of Representatives not in government. The Leader of the Opposition is appointed by the President of Malta, with the President making his or her decision based on the situation within the...
Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand)
Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand)
The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who, at least in theory, commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the New Zealand Parliament. In the debating chamber the Leader of the Opposition sits directly opposite the Prime Minister...
Leader of the Opposition (Northern Ireland)
Leader of the Opposition (Northern Ireland)
The Leader of the Opposition in Northern Ireland was theoretically the leader of the largest party in the Northern Ireland House of Commons which was not the government...
Leader of the Opposition (Pakistan)
Leader of the Opposition (Solomon Islands)
Leader of the Opposition (Solomon Islands)
The Leader of the Opposition in Solomon Islands is a Member of Parliament who commands a large minority of his peers, united in loyal opposition to government...
Leader of the Opposition (South Africa)
Leader of the Opposition (South Africa)
The Leader of the Opposition in South Africa is a title held by the leader of the largest party, not forming part of the government, in the most important house of Parliament. This was the House of Assembly from 1910 to 1994 and the National Assembly from 1994. He or she acts as the public face of...
Leader of the Opposition (Spain)
Leader of the Opposition (Spain)
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish parliament, the Cortes Generales...
Leader of the Opposition (Sri Lanka)
Leader of the Opposition (Sri Lanka)
The Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lanka is the politician who leads main opposition. This is the leader of the largest party not within the government, usually the leader of the second largest party in the Parliament...
Leader of the Opposition (Thailand)
Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)

See also