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back bench

In British derived  parliaments , the members of parliament who are ministers sit in the front row of the seats or benches assigned to the governing party or coalition.  As a consequence, those who sit on the back benches are members of the governing party or coalition who are not ministers.  These members are known collectively as the back bench.  The opposition back bench are those members of the opposition party or parties who are not senior members of their party or do not hold a position as shadow minister or parliamentary spokesperson for a particular area of policy.
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