An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term ''
ex officio'' is
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right of office'; its use dates back to the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...
.
According to ''
Robert's Rules of Order
''Robert's Rules of Order'', often simply referred to as ''Robert's Rules'', is a manual of parliamentary procedure by U.S. Army officer Henry Martyn Robert.
"The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish the work for which ...
'', the term denotes only how one becomes a member of a body. Accordingly, the rights of an ''ex officio'' member are exactly the same as other members unless otherwise stated in regulations or bylaws. It relates to the notion that the position refers to the position the ex officio holds, rather than the individual that holds the position. In some groups, ''ex officio'' members may frequently abstain from voting.
Opposite notions are
dual mandate, when the same person happens to hold two offices or more, although these offices are not in themselves associated; and
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interli ...
, when two states share the same monarch.
For profit and nonprofit use
Any ''ex officio'' membership (for example, of committees, or of the board) is as defined by the nonprofit association's
bylaws
A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...
or other documents of authority. For example, the bylaws quite often provide that the organization's
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
will be ''ex officio'' a member of all committees, except the nominating committee.
Governmental examples
Brazil
In the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom ...
, some princes became members by right of the
Imperial Senate once they turned 25.
China
According to the
Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party
The Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party has 53 articles and its contents describe the program of the Party, as well as its organizational structure and Party symbolism.
History
The Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Pa ...
, the
General Secretary of the Central Committee must be a member of
Politburo Standing Committee.
Hong Kong
, the
Executive Council of
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
is still composed of ''ex officio'' members (official members since 1997) and unofficial members (non-official members since 1997). By practice the ''ex officio'' members include the
secretaries of departments, i.e. the
Chief Secretary, the
Financial Secretary and the
Secretary for Justice. Since 2002 all
secretaries of bureaux are also appointed by the
Chief Executive to be official members of the Executive Council. But since 2005 the secretaries of bureaux attend only when items on the agenda concern their portfolios.
Andorra
The
President of the French Republic and the
Catholic Bishop of Urgell are by virtue of office (''ex officio'') appointed
Co-Princes of Andorra
The co-princes of Andorra are jointly the heads of state ( ca, cap d'estat) of the Principality of Andorra, a landlocked microstate lying in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Founded in 1278 by means of a treaty between the Bishop of Ur ...
.
India
The
Vice-President of India is ''ex officio'' Chairman of
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
, the Upper House of the Indian Parliament.
The
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
is ''ex officio'' Chairman of
NITI Aayog. Other ''ex officio'' members of NITI Aayog are the
Minister of Home Affairs, the
Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
, the
Minister of Railways
A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructure. ...
, and the
Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (Hindi: ''Krishi Avam Kisaan Kalyaan Mantralaya''), formerly the Ministry of Agriculture, is a branch of the Government of India and the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and ...
.
Philippines
In
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, the presiding officers and their deputies, and the majority and minority leaders, are ''ex officio'' members of all committees. The chairman on each chamber's committee on rules is the majority leader. The
Senate President
President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies.
The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ...
is the ''ex officio'' chairman of the
Commission on Appointments, but can only vote on ties. In the
Judicial and Bar Council, several positions are due to occupying another office.
In
provincial boards, the provincial presidents of the
League of Barangays (villages),
Sangguniang Kabataan (youth councils) and of the
Philippine Councilors League
The Philippine Councilors League – or more simply the PCL – is a formal organization of all the municipal and city councilors in the Philippines.
Last February 27, 2020, the outgoing national board declared a failure of elections after the a ...
sit as ''ex officio'' board members. In
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and
municipal councils, the city and municipal presidents of the League of Barangays and the youth councils sit as ''ex officio'' councilors. In barangays, the youth council chairman is an ''ex officio'' member of the
barangay council
The Sangguniang Barangay, also known as the Barangay Council, and formerly as the Rural Council and then the Barrio Council, is the legislative body of a barangay, the lowest form of government in the Philippines. The term is coined from the Tag ...
. The ''ex officio'' members have the same rights and privileges as the regular members of each legislature. The deputies of local chief executives (vice governors and vice mayors) are ''ex officio'' presiding officers of their respective legislatures, but
can only vote when there is a tie.
Russia
Russian
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
, chairmans of
State Duma
The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper hous ...
and
Federation Council,
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
and heads of
federal subjects are ''ex officio'' members of
State Council (an advisory body to the head of state).
President of Russia
The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federa ...
is an ''ex officio'' chairman of it.
United Kingdom
House of Lords
In the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
, the bishops of the five Great Sees of
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...
,
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
Durham, and
Winchester are ''ex officio'' members, and are entitled to vote just as any other Lord Spiritual.
Formerly, anyone holding a title in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great ...
was ''ex officio'' a member of the House of Lords. This entitlement was
abolished in 1999. Since then, only the
Earl Marshal and the
Lord Great Chamberlain
The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and above the Lord High Constable. The Lord Great Chamberlain has charge over the Palace of Westminster (tho ...
(offices that are themselves hereditary) remain ''ex officio''; another 90 hereditary peers are elected by and from among those eligible.
Scotland
The
Lord President of the Court of Session is by virtue of office appointed as Lord Justice General of Scotland. As such, he is both head of the
judiciary of Scotland
The judiciary of Scotland are the judicial office holders who sit in the courts of Scotland and make decisions in both civil and criminal cases. Judges make sure that cases and verdicts are within the parameters set by Scots law, and th ...
, president of the
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburg ...
(the most senior
civil court in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
), and president of the
High Court of Justiciary (the most senior
criminal court in Scotland).
United States
Federal government
The
Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...
, who also serves as President of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
, may vote in the Senate on matters decided by a
majority vote
A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Webster
two-thirds vote
A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority r ...
), if the votes for passage and rejection are equally divided. Also the leader of the parties in both houses are ''ex officio'' members of the
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...
and
Senate intelligence committees. Many committee chairs in the House of Representatives are
''ex officio'' members of subcommittees.
Colorado
In most
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
counties, the county
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
is elected by the citizens of the county. However, in the
City and County of Denver, the mayor of Denver appoints a "Manager of Safety" who oversees the Department of Safety (including the Fire, Police, and Sheriff Departments) and is the ''ex officio'' sheriff of the jurisdiction. Similarly, in the
City and County of Broomfield, Colorado, near Denver, the police chief (an appointed position) also acts ''ex officio'' as the county sheriff.
New York City
The Speaker of the
New York City Council, and its Majority and Minority Leaders, are all ''ex officio'' members of each of its committees. Furthermore, each member of the Council is a non-voting ''ex officio'' member of each
community board whose boundaries include any of the council member's constituents.
References
{{reflist
Bureaucratic organization
Organizational structure