Governor-General of Wiltshire

The Governor-General of Wiltshire (German: Gouverneur-Allgemein von Wiltshire) is the head of state of the Third Wiltshire Republic. Currently Ludwig Kohl, the Governor-General is elected by the Senate to serve a term of 1 year. In this year, the Governor-General appoints the Prime Minister, awards civil and military awards (usually on the advice of the Prime Minister), swears in judges to national courts and officially represents the republic abroad and at home. Though the Governor-General has little real power, they have a large amount of influence over the political debate.

For example, a large boost for the "Join" campaign in the 3019 Referendum was the announced support from Governor-General Ludwig Kohl.

Appointment/Election

The appointment process for the Governor-General has changed slightly with the passage of the Parliament Act. Previously, the Governor-General was elected by the Wiltshire Assembly, and was traditionally the longest serving member of the Assembly. However, with the passage of the Parliament Act the power to appoint the Governor-General was given to the new Senate. There is no formal rules that the Governor-General must be the longest serving member of the Senate, and there are no rules about whether or not they need to be a member of the Senate. They could be an MP or even a member of the general public.

History

The first Governor-General was elected on December 24, 3009 when then Prime Minister Jaresh Inyo declared the need for a head of state "almost urgent". The Assembly approved the "Leadership and Head of States Act", which empowered a Governor-General to have the authority to appoint the Prime Minister and be a chief advisor to the Government of the day.

The first election in the Assembly saw little contest. The President of the Assembly, Smith Francois, declared his intention to run for the office. He easily won and became the first and only Governor-General to serve as Assembly President simultaneously.

List of Governor-Generals

1. Smith Francois (January 1, 3010 until December 31, 3010)
2. Aaron Whitmore (January 1, 3011 until December 31, 3011)
3. Theodore Waters (January 1, 3012 until December 31, 3012)
4. Kim Langley (January 1, 3013 until December 31, 3013)
5. George Sinclaire (January 1, 3014 until December 31, 3014)
6. Terrence Hannah (January 1, 3015 until March 11, 3015)*1
7. Kim Langley (March 14, 3015 until December 31, 3016)*2
8. Ted Gordan (January 1, 3017 until December 31, 3017)
9. Jason Salon (January 1, 3018 until December 31, 3018)
10. Ludwig Kohl (January 1, 3019 until Present)

*1) Terrence Hannah was the only Governor-General to ever die in office. He was succeeded by former Governor-General Kim Langley by election (who had re-entered the Assembly after his first time as Governor-General).

*2) Kim Langley was the only Governor-General to serve longer than 1 year in office. He was re-elected following the death of Terrence Hannah and also re-elected at the conclusion of 3015 to serve for the term of 3016. This would be made illegal by the Gordan Amendment to the Leadership and Head of States Act.