Czar (political term)

Czar, sometimes spelled tsar, is an informal title used for certain high-level officials in the United States and United Kingdom, typically granted broad power to address a particular issue. The term is gender-neutral.

In the United States, czars are generally executive branch officials appointed by the head of the executive branch (such as the president for the federal government, or the governor of a state). Czars may require confirmation with Senate approval while others do not. Some appointees outside the executive branch are called czars as well. Specific instances of the term are often a media creation.^[1]

In the United Kingdom, the term is more loosely used to refer to high-profile appointments who devote their skills to one particular area.

The word czar is of Slavic origin, etymologically originating from the name Caesar, as with the word tsar, a title of sovereignty, first created and used by the First Bulgarian Empire.^[2] The title was later adopted and used by the Serbian Empire and Tsardom of Russia. The feminine of the historic title is czarina.