(Redirected from
Minister for Magic)
In the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling, the Minister for Magic (original United Kingdom editions and the film series) or Minister of Magic (US editions) is the head of a Ministry of Magic.
The current Minister for Magic of Britain is Cornelius Fudge, a man who is depicted is being somewhat pompous and self-important. While not actually evil or affiliated with Lord Voldemort, he is constantly trying to thwart the efforts of Albus Dumbledore. According to the books, Fudge was elected in 1990, which implies that British wizards have some kind of democratic process. Fudge's predecessor was Millicent Bagnold, about whom nothing else is known. Other previous Ministers have been Grogan Stump , who settled the Beings vs. Beasts classification problem, and Artemisia Lufkin, the first witch to be elected to the post.
Apparently, Dumbledore, who at the time enjoyed a great deal of popularity, was originally wanted by many for the job of Minister; however, he refused to give up his position as headmaster of Hogwarts, and the job went to Fudge instead.
The Minister is similar to the President of the U.S.A., since there is obviously some sort of system of checks and balances on him but he is an influential figure in the passage of laws (although which group acts as the legislative body of the wizarding world is unknown). Because of this, Lucius Malfoy (among others) frequently visits him with offerings of plenty of galleons to ensure that laws he supports get passed.
Also like the U.S. President, the Minister must sign laws before they are put into effect (in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, all the Educational Decrees are signed by Fudge). This also suggests that he has veto power.
In addition to his ministerial duties, the Minister presides over the Wizengamot, the supreme judicial body of the British Ministry of Magic. (However, Barty Crouch presided over the trials of Igor Karkaroff, Ludo Bagman, and Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange when he was only head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.)
