Secretary of State

The title secretary of state or state secretary is commonly used for senior or mid-level posts in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple secretaries of state in the government.

In many countries, a secretary of state is a mid-level post. It is usually a politically appointed position, although in some countries, such as Germany and Sweden, it can be filled by a member of the executive bureaucracy (civil service) as a political appointment. In the Holy See, the administrative body of the Catholic Church, the Cardinal Secretary of State coordinates all the departments of the Roman Curia (and is thus equivalent to a prime minister). In the United Kingdom, a secretary of state is a member of the cabinet appointed by the Queen on the advice of the prime minister (and thus equivalent to a minister). The United States Secretary of State is the foreign minister of the federal government of the United States while in most of the individual U.S. states the secretary of state is an administrative officer responsible for certain governmental functions, often including overseeing elections.

In the Orange Free State (1854–1902) the Secretary of State was the original title of the main administrative officer of the State, who worked closely with both the State President as head of state and head of government, and his cabinet, and with the Volksraad, the parliament of the Orange Free State. The title of State Secretary was replaced by that of Government Secretary soon after the formation of the state apparatus and was thereafter never used again.

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