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The Shadow Cabinet is a feature of the Westminster system of government. It consists of a senior group of opposition spokespeople who, under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, form an alternative cabinet to that of the government, and whose members shadow or mirror the positions of each individual member of the Cabinet.^[1] It is the Shadow Cabinet's responsibility to scrutinise the policies and actions of the government, as well as to offer an alternative program. The Shadow Cabinet makes up the majority of the Official Opposition frontbench.

In most countries, a member of the shadow cabinet is referred to as a Shadow Minister. In the United Kingdom's House of Lords and in New Zealand, the term "spokesperson" is used instead of "shadow".^[1] In Canada, however, the term Opposition Critic is more common.

The shadow minister's duties may give them considerable prominence in the party caucus hierarchy especially if it is a high-profile portfolio, although their salary and benefits remain the same as a backbencher. Members of a shadow cabinet may not necessarily be appointed to the corresponding Cabinet post if and when their party forms a government.

Cultural applications

In the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand the major opposition party and specifically its shadow cabinet is called His or Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.^[2] The adjective "loyal" is used because, while the role of the opposition is to oppose Her Majesty's Government, it does not dispute the sovereign's right to the throne and therefore the legitimacy of the government. However, in other countries that use the Westminster system, the opposition is known simply as The Parliamentary Opposition.^[3]

Some parliamentary parties, notably the Australian Labor Party, elect all the members of their shadow cabinets in a party room ballot, with the Leader of the Opposition then allocating portfolios to the Shadow Ministers.^[4] In other parliamentary parties, the membership and composition of the Shadow Cabinet is generally determined solely by the Leader of the Opposition.

Third parties

In many jurisdictions, third parties (which are neither participant in the government nor in the official opposition) may also form their own parliamentary front benches of spokespersons; however, parliamentary standing orders on the right of parties to speak often dictate that it can only be granted to a party or group if a minimum number of members can be recorded by the party. In Ireland, for example, technical groups are often formed by third parties and independent TDs in the Dáil Éireann in order to increase the members' right to speak against larger parties which can afford the right to speak as Front Benches in Government or Opposition.^[5][6]

Use outside English-speaking countries

While the practice of parliamentary shadow cabinets or frontbenches is not widespread in Germany, party leaders have often formed boards of experts and advisors ("teams of experts", or Kompetenzteam, in CDU/CSU and SPD parlance; alternate "top team", or Spitzenteam, in Alliance '90/The Greens parlance).

By country

Australia

• 
  Shadow Cabinet of Australia (Australian Labor Party) (Bill Shorten)

New South Wales

• 
  New South Wales Shadow Cabinet (Australian Labor Party) (Luke Foley)

The Bahamas

• Shadow Cabinet (Progressive Liberal Party) (Philip "Brave" Davis)

Canada

• 
  Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 42nd Parliament of Canada (Conservative Party of Canada) (Andrew Scheer)

Ontario

• 
  Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 41st Legislative Assembly of Ontario (Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario) (Patrick Brown)

Ireland

• 
  Opposition Front Bench (Ireland) (Fianna Fáil) (Micheál Martin)

Italy

• 
  Shadow Cabinet of Italy (Governo ombra) (Walter Veltroni)

Jamaica

• 
  Shadow Cabinet of Jamaica (People's National Party)

Japan

• 
  Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (Yukio Edano)

Lithuania

• 
  Shadow Cabinet of Lithuania (Šešėlinis kabinetas) (Andrius Kubilius).^[7]
  

Malaysia

• 
  Shadow Cabinet of Malaysia (The National Front) (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi)

New Zealand

• 
  Official Opposition (New Zealand) (New Zealand National Party) (Simon Bridges)

• Shadow Cabinet of Simon Bridges

Poland

• Shadow Cabinet (Civic Platform led by Grzegorz Schetyna)

Serbia

• Shadow Cabinet (Serbian: Влада у сенци)

Sri Lanka

• Joined Opposition (led by ex-President Mahinda Rajapakshe)

Slovenia

• Shadow Cabinet (Slovenska demokratska stranka)

Solomon Islands

• 
  Shadow Cabinet of Solomon Islands (Democratic Party and allies)

South Africa

• 
  Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (South Africa) (Democratic Alliance) (Mmusi Maimane)

Thailand

• 
  Shadow Cabinet (Democrat Party) (Abhisit Vejjajiva)

Ukraine

• Shadow Government (Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk)

United Kingdom

• 
  Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom) (Labour) (Jeremy Corbyn)

Scotland

• 
  Shadow Cabinet (Scottish Parliament) (Scottish Conservatives) (Ruth Davidson)

Wales

• 
  Official Shadow Cabinet (National Assembly for Wales) (Welsh Conservatives) (Paul Davies)

See also

• Shadow government (disambiguation)


• Minority Leader

References