Wiltshire Electoral History

THIS PAGE IS A HISTORICAL RECORD OF ALL ELECTIONS IN WILTSHIRE. 

September 3009

In July 3009, Jaresh Inyo was appointed the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Wiltshire. Inyo, along with a number of the original founders, founded the National Party. The National Party was intended to a unifying political party in order to avoid the clear divisions that political parties had caused within the former UFP. The National Party was clear from the establishment of the first government; Wiltshire will be a democracy, and so once the government was fully functional, Jaresh Inyo called the first ever general election in Wiltshire's History. This election saw Inyo unchallanged for the leadership. He was extremely popular and was seen as the 'father' of the newly formed country. The National Party leadership only saw opposition from other National politicians such as William George. The National Party won every single seat in the National Assembly in this election. In an attempt to please the opposing National politicians, Jaresh Inyo formed the National Coalition, which brought together many who opposed him into his ranks. This National Coalition government is one of the best remembered as much of the infrastructure that build the new country (mostly trade) was thanks to it.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
National	Jaresh Inyo	51	N/A	76.5%

The resulting government was a National Coalition led by Prime Minister Jaresh Inyo.

January 3010

The second election was the first as a result of the Assembly Act of 3009, which stated that elections must occure at least every 6 months. Since the last election, Prime Minister Jaresh Inyo's approval rating had been fluxuating. In October, the Socialist Party was founded behind the principle that a purely capitalistic system would not work. Even though they were not as left wing as some of the Socialist countries popping up around Doggerland at the time, the Socialist Party was on a clear path to win a large number of seats. Despite Inyo's work to increase trade, poverty became a real issue for many Wiltshirians in the latter part of 3009. Many could not afford healthcare and taxes were higher than many wanted because of the need to build up a military force. The Socialist's unofficial slogan: "If you're going to be taxed, at least get some healthcare out of it" was effective, which resulted them in gaining a large amount of popularity.

Furthermore, the National Coalition was beginning to break down around Christmas of 3009. Prime Minister Inyo agreed to hold an early election (January 3009) as apart of the Boxing Day Compromise. The Coalition partners would not bring down the government if an election were held. Many Jaresh Inyo advisers later stated that Inyo agreed to the compromise because he was very confident in his ability to win the election. However, he was not as successful as he would have hoped to be. The National Coalition lost the election, with the new Socialist Party shocking most by winning the most seats. This was as a direct result of the middle and lower classes coming out to vote for the very first time.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
Socialist	Thomas Shore	27	+27	53.3%
National Coalition	Jaresh Inyo	24	-27	41.7%

The resulting government was a Socialist majority government led by Prime Minister Thomas Shore. This was the first change in government in Wiltshire's history. Majority of 3 seats.

July 3010

The July 3010 election was caused by the legal dissolution of the National Assembly because of the 6 month term length max set by the Assembly Act of 3009. The election was a rematch between incumbent Prime Minister Thomas Shore and Conservative Leader Jaresh Inyo. Since the last election, the National Coalition collapsed. The Liberal aspects of the coalition were unwilling to continue to work with Inyo as they no longer believed Inyo could win. The National Coalition split into two parties; The Conservative Party and the Liberal Alliance Party. The Conservative Party's formation was a decision made by Inyo to counter the Socialists' clear 'wear your ideology on your sleeve' mentality.

The Socialist Government was a massive failure. Eventhough poverty did decrease, it was still a big issue. Furthermore, the Socialist government failed to deliver its number one election promise; Universal Healthcare. This was mainly due to obstruction and fillibuster from Conservative AMs, however, many were angry with Thomas Shore for failing to deliver it. This left the Socialists in a poor situation which the Conservatives' capitalised on. In addition, the Liberal Alliance was branding itself as the third option. Their slogan; "Third time lucky" attempted to capitalise this. This election was the first to result in a hung parliament with Jaresh Inyo forming a second Coalition, however, this time he was clear: The Conservatives were in charge.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
Socialists	Jaresh Inyo	24	-3	44.5%
Conservatives	Thomas Shore	20	+20 (realistically -4)	37.5%
Liberal Alliance	George Sinclaire	7	+7	18.0%

The resulting government was a coalition between the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative Party led by Prime Minister Jaresh Inyo. No Majority.

February 3011

The February 3011 election saw the Conservative Party win their first ever majority and Jaresh Inyo returned as a victorious Prime Minister, popular and (as many suggest) successful to a third term in office. Following their loss in the last election, Thomas Shore resigned as Leader of the Socialist Party. Karl Krussinich succeeded him. Krussinich was clear, he would achieve Universal Healthcare no matter the cost. He hoped this would win him votes. However, many were untrusting of the Socialists following their failure to deliver on the same promise during their last term.

The Conservative Party was in a strong position going into these elections. Jaresh Inyo was popular and poverty had been on the decline. Eventhough many still wanted Universal Healthcare, people were more pleased to have a strong and stable job. The Conservative Party's slogan: "Don't rock the boat". The Liberal Alliance was attempting to continue their path to become the next government. However, they were seemingly unable to cash in the credit for being apart of the Inyo-led coalition. Krussinich was unable to win support of the people and the Liberal Alliance were like marmite to the populous, and so Jaresh Inyo easily won.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
Conservatives	Jaresh Inyo	26	+6	46.2%
Socialists	Karl Krussinich	19	-5	40.0%
Liberal Alliance	George Sinclaire	6	-1	13.8%

The resulting government was a Conservative majority government led by Prime Minister Jaresh Inyo. Majority of 2 seats.

October 3011

The October 3011 election was the first election to be be contested by founding father Jaresh Inyo. Inyo had resigned as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party in August. Many were surprised by the decision as Inyo was still extremely popular. His Conservative government had continued to do work to reduce poverty and increase jobs. His successor was his Deputy Prime Minister, Edward Jellico. Jellico was a strong Conservative and was seen as Inyo's natural successor. He became Prime Minister in August and announced that he would delay the next election to October in order to allow him to settle into the role. The new Prime Minister had high approvals and the Conservatives in general were in an extremely strong position. The Socialist Leader was still Karl Krussinich and he would have an extremely hard time defeating Edward Jellico.

Karl Krussinich continued to argue for Universal Healthcare, however, this became less and less popular over time and by the time of the election, less than half of the country supported the idea. This election also saw the first time the Green Party fielded candidates, although they recieved very little support.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
Conservatives	Edward Jellico	30	+4	50.1%
Socialists	Karl Krussinich	11	-8	29.9%
Liberal Alliance	George Sinclaire	10	+4	20.0%

The resulting government was a Conservative majority government led by Prime Minister Edward Jellico. Majority of 8 seats.

January 3013

The January 3013 Election was held following the repeal of the Assembly Act of 3009. This election took place 15 months following the previous one as Edward Jellico's premiership continued strong. Many started to suggest Jellico was becoming a Dictator as the opposition had little to now power in the Assembly. Wiltshire was starting to look more and more like a one-party state. Since the last election, the son of Thomas Shore, Thomas Shore II, had become leader of the Socialist Party and was arguing for a check on Jellico's power. Jellico's government had become stale among many voters. They didn't dislike him, however, many wanted something different. Many suggesting a different Conservative Leader to change the direction of the government. The economy had started to stagnate in late 3012 as people wanted more and more change. Shore capitalised on this. The Conservatives were heading for a difficult election, and so tried to delay it as much as possible. However, the Socialists were still unable to muster a convincing force to take down Jellico.

Since the last election, Liberal Alliance Leader, George Sinclaire had died and so Dan Prescott took over the leadership of the party.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
Conservatives	Edward Jellico	23	-7	38.2%
Socialists	Thomas Shore II	20	+9	38.0%
Liberal Alliance	Dan Prescott	8	-2	16.5%

The resulting government was a Conservative minority government (as they were unable to forge a coalition with the new liberal leadership. This new government would be led by Edward Jellico. However, in March 3013, the new Socialist Leader, Renly Stork, managed to defeat the government resulting in Jellico's resignation and the establishment of the first Socialist Government since 3010. No Majority.

May 3013

The May 3013 election was called by Prime Minister Renly Stork in order to give him a larger number of seats, even a majority, in order for him to do anything. The current parliamentary situation was that Prime Minister Stork had a weak government and so was unable to achieve much that he wanted to. The election was set as him against newly elected Conservative Leader Martin Banks. Banks was avidly opposed to the policies of Edward Jellico. Banks was touted as a potential leadership threat before the previous election as many preferred his approach to leadership. Now that Banks was leader, he had an opportunity to prove that he had the ability to project his brand of conservatism. Stork was not popular. He was fortunate to have been able to form a government however, many did not expect him to sail his way into a full term. The election resulted in another Hung assembly. However, this time the Conservatives had the numbers to form a minority government.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
Conservatives	Martin Banks	24	+1	40.9%
Socialists	Renly Stork	16	-4	35.7%
Liberal Alliance	Dan Prescott	11	+3	23.4%

The resulting government was a Conservative minority government led by Prime Minister Martin Banks. The Socialist Party's second tenure in government would come to an end and they would not be returned to government for three more years. Banks was able to increase his seat numbers by winning two by-elections (one against the Socialists and another against the Liberals). No Majority.

November 3013

The November 3013 election served as the consolidation of Martin Banks' power as the Conservative Party won a majority of the seats in the National Assembly for the first time since 3011. Incumbent Prime Minister Martin Banks was growing in popularity and his vision of a "New Conservative Wiltshire" left many feeling optimistic about the future.

Renly Stork attempted to regain power in this election. However, it proved to be impossible against a government providing lower unemployment and higher paying jobs than ever before. Though many Wiltshirians still didn't have healthcare or a proper education, life for most was good and getting better. This period of economic growth allowed Banks to continue in office for nearly an entire year before the next election. This election saw the first ever seat for the Walkerton National Party in the National Assembly.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
Conservatives	Martin Banks	26	+2	45.4%
Socialists	Renly Stork	14	-2	31.5%
Liberal Alliance	Dan Prescott	10	-1	17.5%
Walkerton National Party	Fredrick Bern	1	+1	5.5%

The resulting government was a Conservative majority government. This government would become the longest serving continuous government without an election in Wiltshire's history, led by Martin Banks. Majority of 2.

October 3014

The October 3014 election came after 11 months on no election. This was as a result of there being no legal requirement for one and Martin Banks only continued to grow in popularity. Martin Banks was aging. However, many were still optimistic about his 'Conservative Wiltshire'. Unemployment reached its lowest point in history and, because of measures taken by Banks, Wiltshire achieved the highest insured rate of any non-single payer country. Wiltshire was booming and this was reflected in the fact that Banks won another victory. Renly Stork continued to attempt to regain power. However, after this election it was clear that he was unable to win over the country. The WNP gained in support after this election.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
Conservatives	Martin Banks	28	+2	44.9%
Socialists	Renly Stork	12	-2	29.8%
Liberal Alliance	Samuel Jones	7	-3	18.9%
Walkerton National Party	Fredrick Bern	4	+3	8.4%

The resulting government was the continuation of the Conservative Majority government led by Martin Banks. Who would serve until his resignation in January 3015. Majority of 5 seats.

May 3015

The May 3015 election was the first under the new Prime Minister David Loynd. Loynd had secured the leadership after Banks' resignation. Banks' was the oldest ever Prime Minister and resigned at the age of 70 in 3015. The leadership election to replace him was vicious. The Deputy Prime Minister, David Loynd, had to fight off a challenge from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Todd Emerson. Emerson used many dirty tactics and Loynd responded in much the same way. Loynd won a close election and was able to continue in government (having made many enemies within his party). This election saw the beginning of the decline of the Conservative Party. However, Loynd was able to hold onto much of Banks' support and continue in government having lost his government majority. This government was able to survive as a minority government after this election, however, this severely stomped their ability to govern affectively.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular Vote
Conservatives	David Loynd	25	N/A (change in seat numbers)	40.1%
Socialists	Keir Krussinich	15	N/A (change in seat numbers)	32.1%
Liberal Alliance	Samuel Jones	13	N/A (change in seat numbers)	26.5%

The resulting government was a Conservative minority government led by Loynd. This government was supported unofficially by the Liberals in a number of votes. This would become a formal coalition following more losses at the next election. No Majority.

Sepetmber 3015

The September 3015 election would be the last election until 3019 where the Conservatives were the largest party in the National Assembly. Prime Minister David Loynd, having passed the Elections Act of 3015 in order to prevent his minority government from falling apart, was held to hold another election in September. Socialist Leader Keir Krussinich had been growing in popularity and economic optimism had started to ware off. Loynd was able to maintain being the largest party, however, he couldn't continue in office without a coalition. Krussinich died shortly following the election, allowing for Frank Eddington to become Leader of the Socialist Party. This election is remembered as the set up for January 3016.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular vote
Conservatives	David Loynd	24	-1	38.2%
Socialists	Keir Krussinich	17	+2	34.4%
Liberal Alliance	Samuel Jones	10	-3	17.5%
Communists	Walton Baker	2	+2	7.5%

The resulting government was a coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberals led by Prime Minister David Loynd. This government would be in place until the Socialist landslide of January 3016. No Majority.

January 3016

The January 3016 Election is probably the most famous election in Wiltshirian history. This election was the competition between Socialist Leader Frank Eddington and Conservative Prime Minister David Loynd. The election was a question about change. Loynd represented a Conservative Party which had been in government almost continuously since 3010 and the optimistic vision of a "Conservative Wiltshire for the people" had completed died out by this point. Loynd was growing in unpopularity as the economy started to show signs of weakness. The Panic of December 3015 left many fearing a wider recession and many believed a social safety net would be needed should it come to pass. In addition, the panic showed a harsh reality for many in Wiltshire. Though the economy was doing well, many of the poorest were still starving. The panic highlighted this and showed how hard life was for many. Furthermore, a report in November stated that the most deprived area of Doggerland was in southern Wiltshire. The Socialist' shaped their manifesto and campaign around fighting inequality for everyone; not just the rich. This proved to be an effective strategy. Change vs the Establishment didn't work and 6 years of Conservative rule came to an end in a landslide.

Political Party	Party Leader	Seats won	Seats Change	Popular vote
Socialists	Frank Eddington	35	+18	47.5%
Conservatives	David Loynd	8	-16	23.5%
Liberal Alliance	Samuel Jones	5	-5	10.1%
Communists	Walton Baker	3	+1	8.5%
Walkerton National Party	Fredrick Bern	2	+2	4.4%

The resulting government was a Socialist majority government led by Eddington with a majority of 17 seats (the largest ever majority).

May 3016

The May 3016 election served as a confirmation of Frank Eddington's popularity. He was still in the process of passing legislation such as the Universal Healthcare Act and National Insurance. However, Eddington did pass the Minimum Wage Act and the Educational Reform Act, which allowed him to maintain his popularity. The new Conservative Leader, Pete Bus, attempted to frame the January 3016 election as a "One Bad Choice Too Many". However, this didn't go down well and he was only able to make small gains.

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seats Change	Popular vote
Socialists	Frank Eddington	34	-1	44.5%
Conservatives	Pete Bus	10	+2	24.0%
Liberal Alliance	Francesca Longhart	3	-2	9.8%
Communists	Walton Baker	1	-2	7.6%
Walkerton National Party	Fredrick Bern	4	+2	6.5%
Green Party	Randal Wellington	1	+1	3.4%

The resulting government was a continuation of the Eddington landslide government with a majority of 15 seats.

September 3016

The September 3016 election saw the re-elected of Eddington's landslide Socialist government. The party was able to replicate their May 3016 victory as they pass the National Insurance Act. The Conservative Leader, Pete Bus, attempted (again) to pick up support but Wiltshirians were still infatuated with Eddington and his brand of Socialism, especially because the economy had started to recover. The Socialists made small gains but the writing was on the wall: Wiltshire wasn't about to change its mind on Socialism. However, this election saw the complete collapse of the vote for the Walkerton National Party (who would never hold another Assembly seat again).

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat Change	Popular vote
Socialists	Frank Eddington	36	+2	45.6%
Conservatives	Pete Bus	9	-1	22.9%
Liberal Alliance	Francesca Longhart	4	+1	9.9%
Communists	Walton Baker	2	+1	8.1%
Green Party	Randal Wellington	2	+1	5.3%

The resulting government was another Socialist landslide majority government. Increased majority of 19 seats. Frank Eddington would continue to be Prime Minister.

February 3017

The February 3017 Election was held nearly 6 months after the previous. The Assembly approved an extension of the term in office (from December to February) in order to pass the Universal Healthcare Act. The Act was incredibly popular and this election was used as a referendum on it. The Conservative Party ran a campaign opposed to "ramped government spending" and "unhealthy expenditure". The Leader of the Conservative Party, Andrea Drum, was instrumental in this campaign. However, the lives of many Wiltshirians were made easier and even those who were paying more in taxes were mostly happy as the increase health rated led directly to decreases in crime, poverty and infant mortality. The Socialist Party, led once again by Frank Eddington, was swept back into office with a significantly larger majority. This was the largest victory the Socialists ever achieved and would allow them to preserve the Universal Healthcare system for a number of years to come. The Green Party and the Communist Party were both eliminated in the Assembly as many of their supporters fled to the Socialist Party. The Liberal Alliance Party managed to survive with 1 seat.

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat change	Popular vote
Socialists	Frank Eddington	45	+9	51.6%
Conservatives	Andrea Drum	6	-3	20.1%
Liberal Alliance	Francesca Longhart	1	-3	5.8%
Independent	N/A	1	+1	4.1%

The resulting government was a continuation of the Socialist Government led by Frank Eddington. Their majority was a historically high 37 seats. Many link this victory to the passing and establishment of the Universal Healthcare System.

June 3017

The June 3017 Election was another victory for Frank Eddington's Socialists. However, this election saw his majority reduce (mainly due to the Corporate Depression of 3017). This election also saw the establishment of Wiltshire First. A political party devoted to the downfall of the Socialist Party with the aim to replace the "sellout Conservatives" as the major party for the right-wing. The Conservative Party was led by Walter Krussteg. Krussteg was a popular figure and his work in this election gave the Conservatives their best opposition result.

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat change	Popular vote
Socialists	Frank Eddington	36	-9	43.6%
Conservatives	Walt Krussteg	14	+8	30.5%
Liberal Alliance	Ray Banes	1	+0	6.0%
Wiltshire First	Michele Yarner	1	+1	4.7%
Independent	N/A	1	+0	4.5%

The resulting government was Frank Eddington's Socialist Majority Government. However, with a reduced majority of 19 seats (the size of their majority pre-February 3017).

October 3017

Frank Eddington's Socialists beat expectations in this election as they secured a 6th term in office. Opinion polls were suggesting that Walt Krussteg's Conservative Party (alongside the rising Wiltshire First) would beat Eddington's Socialists. However, in the biggest electoral come back in a long time, Eddington actually increased his majority in the Assembly. The campaign was mostly focused on the Corporate Depression (that had continued to move forward into the previous term). However, many people still trusted Eddington (especially after the success of the National Insurance system and Universal Healthcare system (which were helping Wiltshirians through this hard time).

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat change	Popular vote
Socialists	Frank Eddington	38	+2	44.7%
Conservatives	Walt Krussteg	12	-2	28.7%
Wiltshire First	Michele Yarner	2	+1	7.5%
Liberal Alliance	Ray Banes	1	+0	5.1%

The resulting government was the majority government of Frank Eddington's Socialist Party with an increased majority of 23 seats.

February 3018

The February 3018 Election was again like the October 3017 Election as many expected the Socialists to do poorer than expected. However, Eddington's economy had continued to maintain some strength (compared to other countries who's economies hadn't been so fortunate. This would be the last election the Socialist Party won a majority and, following this, Frank Eddington would struggle to maintain his position as Prime Minister.

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat change	Popular vote
Socialists	Frank Eddington	30	-8	40.0%
Conservatives	Walt Krussteg	13	+1	30.2%
Wiltshire First	Michele Yarner	5	+3	13.4%
Liberal Alliance	Ray Banes	3	+2	8.1%
Communists	Walton Baker	2	+2	7.4%

The resulting government was a majority Socialist Government led by Frank Eddington with a majority of 7 seats (the smallest majority Frank Eddington ever had).

July 3018

The July 3018 Election saw the beginning of the end for Frank Eddington's Socialist Party. The party lost its majority in the Assembly. However, this was not due to a rising Conservative Party, but because of a rising host of smaller parties. This meant that Eddington was able to remain in government as no other party was able to put together a coalition. Eddington would form a slim minority government following this. Many put Eddington's losses in this election to "party fatigue" and "stale old politics". The Conservatives did lose a seat but there was a perception that they had momentum and so Conservative Leader Peter Hay continued as Party leader following the election.

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat change	Popular vote
Socialists	Frank Eddington	24	-6	38.0%
Conservatives	Peter Hay	12	-1	31.9%
Communists	Walton Baker	10	+8	14.0%
Liberal Alliance	Ray Banes	6	+3	7.8%
Wiltshire First	Michele Yarner	1	-4	4.5%

This election resulted in the formation of a new, Socialist minority government. They did not have any formal arrangement with other parties. However, they were mostly supported by the Communist Party.

November 3018

The November 3018 election was the nail in the coffin for Frank Eddington's political career as his party suffered further losses to the Conservative Party, led by Peter Hay. Hay was able to make gains and prevent the Socialist minority government from continuing. They came within 1 seat of becoming the largest party. The Socialist Party was forced to form a formal coalition with the Communist Party and Liberal Alliance Party to remain in government. However, following this election, a number of by-election defeats would force Eddington to resign as Prime Minister. Installing Audrick Hill (Peter Hay's successor as Conservative Leader) as Prime Minister.

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat change	Popular vote
Socialists	Frank Eddington	17	-7	34.1%
Conservatives	Peter Hay	16	+4	33.2%
Wiltshire First	Michele Yarner	6	+5	11.9%
Liberal Alliance	Ray Banes	5	-1	7.5%
Communists	Walton Baker	5	-5	7.2%

The resulting government was a coalition government between the Socialist Party and the Communist Party with a formal confidence and supply arrangement with the Liberal Alliance. However, this wouldn't last as the Liberal Alliance Party would switch over to support the Conservatives in government following them becoming the largest party in the Assembly. This would be the last election where Frank Eddington stood as a candidate. Second Eddington Ministry (Wiltshire) First Hill Ministry (Wiltshire).

January 3019

The January 3019 Election was the first election since 3015 where Frank Eddington wasn't standing to become Prime Minister. In the previous month, he was forced to resign as his party was no longer able to command the majority of the Assembly. Audrick Hill, the new Leader of the Conservative Party, was able to put together a majority by forming the first ever three-way coalition between the Conservatives, Wiltshire First and the Liberal Alliance Party. However, this wasn't meant to be as less than a month following its inception, the Liberal Party broke away from the government as Wiltshire First and Conservative AMs attempted to repeal Universal Healthcare (the crowning achievement of Eddington's Socialist Government). The Government was not able to repeal the legislation (due to the blocking by new Socialist Leader Rita Smith). This led to a government shutdown as the parties refused to pass a budget should they not move on healthcare. Prime Minister Hill called the election early to sort out the disagreement. He was able to comfortably win it, proving the first Conservative Majority government since October 3014.

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat change	Popular vote
Conservatives	Audrick Hill	28	+12	42.0%
Socialists	Rita Smith	10	-7	27.2%
Communists	Walton Baker	7	+2	12.4%
Wiltshire First	Michele Yarner	5	-1	10.9%
Liberal Alliance	Ray Banes	1	-4	4.9%
Green Party	Peter Hart	1	+1	2.1%
Independents	N/A	1	+1	0.5%

The resulting government was a Conservative Majority government, led by Audrick Hill, with a majority of 3 seats. Audrick Hill would resign less than a month after this election because of the Wiltshire NNF Membership Referendum, installing Samantha Schrӧder as Conservative Leader and Prime Minister. This would also be the last election Wiltshire held as an independent country. Second Hill Ministry (Wiltshire) Schroder Ministry (Wiltshire)

April 3019

The April 3019 Election, the first as a member of the Novanite Federation, was a contest between Samantha Schrӧder and Rita Smith's newly formed Labour Party. The Conservative Party had won a majority in the last election. However, this was not maintained. At the beginning of her tenure as Prime Minister, a Sex Scandal was uncovered. A number of "family values" religious Conservatives were outraged. However, they did not want to see a break in the vote. So they attempted to cover their anger and displeasure with the new, female, leader. However, their silence broken when Schroder formally joined the NF. In an attempt to "deliver for the people's will", Schroder signed away Wiltshire's independence and became a Province of the Novanite Federation. This action caused a number of Conservatives to resign and form the "Freedom Caucus". The Freedom Caucus refused to stand as Conservatives in this election and formed their own political party. However, all 7 of them were defeated. Divisions were not exclusive to the right wing however. The Socialist Party had broken in two (creating the new Labour Party). The Labour Party was led by the former Socialist Leader (who was removed from office after losing the last election to Audrick Hill). The Left of centre was quite evenly divided (in the Assembly) between the Labour Party, the Socialist Party an the Communist Party. However, the results showed that one was far more popular than the rest.

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat change	Popular vote
Labour	Rita Smith	13	+13	29.5%
Conservatives	Samantha Schrӧder	9	-19	25.3%
Socialists	Harry Melbourne	6	-4	21.4%
Communists	Walton Baker	3	-4	10.2%
Wiltshire First	Michele Yarner	2	-3	7.4%
Liberal Alliance	Ray Banes	2	+1	5.0%
Green	Don Halloway	1	+0	2.2%
Others	N/A	2	+1

The resulting government was a coalition between the Labour Party and the Socialist Party. For the first time ever, one of the two major political parties were not in power. Rita Smith made history by establishing her Labour Party as a real, left wing force. The coalition had a majority of 1. Smith Ministry (Wiltshire)

June 3019

The June 3019 Election was the first to be held under the new Mixed-Member Proportional System. In addition, the number of seats in the Assembly was increased from 38 to 120. For the last two weeks of the previous Assembly, the party was able to fill the number of seats they would have been entitled to if the last election were held under MMP. So the new Assembly looked like this.

Political Party	Number of Seats
Labour	43
Conservative	28
Socialist	19
Communist	9
Wiltshire First	7
Liberal Alliance	6
Green	3
Independents	6 (4 vacant)

The election pitted the incumbent government (Labour and Socialist) against the Wiltshire First Party, which had grown immensely in popularity since Franklin Morris' federal government increased immigration to the province. The Labour Party wasn't unpopular, however, it failed to do much that it wanted to do and the compromises with the Socialist Party left many supporters unhappy. This, on top of a change to the electoral system which changed a number of attitudes about "spoiler" voting, led to a large rise in the vote for the Liberal Alliance and Green Party. In addition, the complete collapse of the Conservative vote led to the sharp rise in support for Wiltshire First. This led to the most divided Assembly in history.

Political Party	Political Leader	Seats won	Seat change	Popular vote
Labour	Rita Smith	29	-14	16.5%
Wiltshire First	Bernard Canterbury	26	+19	15.4%
Liberal Alliance	Lucy Hobbs	22	+16	12.3%
Green	Don Halloway	21	+18	10.4%
Communists	Walton Baker	9	+0	5.6%
Socialists	Harry Melbourne	7	-12	10.3%
Conservatives	Dylan Rowlands	4	-24	6.5%
Independents	N/A	1	-5	1.1%

The aftermath of this election saw no party able to form a majority. Rita Smith's Labour Party (as well as the Socialist Party) fell short of the 61 seats needed. The Labour Party attempted to extend negotiations with the Liberal Alliance and Green Parties. However, they decided (due to Labour's pro-NF stance) to form an independent, centrist and non-affiliated government with Wiltshire First. However, Wiltshire First Leader Bernard Canterbury was so unpopular in the Liberal and Green Parties that they would not support his leadership. So, in an attempt to bring National unity, the three parties agreed to support independent AM Fillmore Grey to form the National Coalition. This government had a majority of 18 seats.