Political scandal - Definition and Overview

A political scandal is a scandal in which politicians engage in various illegal or unethical practices. A political scandal can involve the breaking of the nation's laws or plotting to do so. Some political scandals are sex scandals involving a politician.

Since the infamous American Watergate scandal of 1973, it has become fashionable to create names for political scandals by adding the suffix "gate" to an adjective or noun that relates to the scandal. For instance, in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the United States, some tried to coin the term "Lewinskygate."

Lists of political scandals by country

• American political scandals
• Australian political scandals
• British political scandals
• Canadian political scandals
• French political scandals
• German political scandals
• Italian political scandals