What does the Chief Minister do?

The Chief Minister (in Manx: Ard-hirveishagh) is the Isle of Man’s ‘Prime Minister’ and is our equivalent to (as of time of writing this) Kier Starmer, Anthony Albanese or Mark Carney.

Whilst technically more of a Chairperson, they are effectively the boss of the Isle of Man Government and are responsible for setting the agenda for the Isle of Man. They head up the Council of Ministers (the Isle of Man’s cabinet) and represent the Isle of Man internationally, quite often serving as our unofficial Foreign Minister. 

In order to serve as Chief Minister, you have to be a sitting member of the House of Keys and be elected by at least 13 other MHKs. 

The Chief Minister can serve as long as they like (so long as they aren’t voted out at an election by the public, dismissed by the Governor or lose a vote of no-confidence in the House of Keys (This is where at least 13 MHKs say they don’t have confidence in the Government) 

It is important to remember that the Chief Minister is also an MHK and represents a constituency - if you have an issue with a pothole and live in the area they represent, you can take your issue to them. 

Whilst you don't get to directly vote for the Chief Minister, you do get to have a say on two of the people that have a say in who it will be (your MHKs)

If you’re planning to vote in the Isle of Man General Election - make sure you’re registered. You can register or find out if you are registered here. 

The deadline for registering to vote is 25 August 2026. If you’re not registered by then, you won’t be able to vote on election day. 

Want to know more about the election?

This is just one in our series of short blogs explaining what the hell is happening on 24 September 2026. You can read the rest of the blogs here.