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A politician is an individual involved in politics to the extent of holding or running for public office.
In Western democracies, the term is generally restricted to those involved in election campaigns( — see talk page), rather than members of the state bureaucracy. Such a distinction is less clear in non-democratic forms of government.
In a state, individual politicians compose the executive branch of government and the office of Head of State (unless the head of state is a non-political figure, such as a king) as well as the legislative branch, and regional and local levels of government. Other organs of government such as the judicial branch, law enforcement, and the military are not usually regarded as being composed of politicians, despite the fact that the men and women involved do government work.
Sometimes political scientists are also refered to as politicians.
The Australian slang term for politicians is pollies.
Some common offices for politicians can include:
See also
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