ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Mandate (politics)

A mandate is an official order from a government or other powerful organization and it tells people what they must do. For example, a politician might use their mandate from the people to pass a law to protect the environment. The people might have voted for the politician because they want them to put laws in place that will protect the environment. The mandate is like a promise from the politician to do what the people voted for them to do.