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The 2nd Annual Wiltshirian Presidential Election will be held on February 6, 3021 to either re-elect the first or elect the second President of Wiltshire, to serve the term of February 7, 3021 until February 6, 3022. The election will be the first in which an incumbent president is eligible to seek a second term and will likely have over a million registered voters, assuming the turnout is as high as expected in the June 3020 Wiltshire Legislative Elections.
Incumbent President Gaius Selan is eligible to seek re-election and will most likely run as an independent, if he should run. Whether or not President Selan - who holds record popularity - seeks a second term will have a large impact on other candidates in the race. For example, the Liberal Conservatives likely wouldn't run a candidate against Selan.
President Selan's trademark policy during his time in office has been the growth of the Wiltshirian military, notably the Wiltshire Navy and the development of the Cassin Young-class aircraft carrier. Selan would likely seek a second term if he felt this military expansion was at risk, given that he has said he would only appoint a Prime Minister who supported such actions.
In June 3020, Selan appointed Mark Edwin to serve as Prime Minister following his victory in the general election. In July, Sebastian Bashira became the first candidate to formally announce, followed by former Prime Ministers Frank Eddington and Rita Smith. In August, Paul Norment announced his candidacy following his dismissal from the Cabinet.
Procedure
The only formal rules for the running of a presidential election comes from the Second Elections Act, 3020 which laid out the following criteria;
"On the first Friday of every February, the citizens shall poll to elect a President of the Republic. The following Sunday shall commence the President-elect's term in office."
"The poll in the election of the President shall be conducted by the Elections Authority and shall franchise electors aged 18 and older not otherwise prohibited from voting by incarceration."
The Elections Authority has yet to release the guidelines for the 2021 Presidential Election, but is expected by August/September.
Nominations
The Labour and Progress parties have announced that they will host nomination contests to select their candidates. The Labour Party has said they will conduct their contest by national popular vote of Labour members and Progress has stated that they will host their contest via the local authorities.
The Liberal Conservatives, KRV and Socialist parties have not commented on nominations (with the Liberal Conservatives likely not standing a candidate should the President seek re-election).
Declared candidates
As of July 3, 3020, there have been two people to declared as candidates.
| Candidate | Office(s) held | Home City | Political Party | Declared |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Bashira | Leader of the Democratic Party (3020)
Interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Wiltshire |
Juneville | Liberal (nominated) | 23 July 3020 |
| Frank Eddington | Prime Minister of Wiltshire (3016 until 3010)
Leader of the Socialist Party (3015 until 3019) |
Arches | Socialist (nomination required) | 26 July 3020 |
| Rita Smith | Prime Minister of Wiltshire (3019)
Leader of the Labour Party (3019) Minister for Education (3020 to present) |
Juneville | Labour (nomination required) | 14 August 3020 |
| Paul Norment | Minister for Work and Pensions (3020) | Washington | Socialist (nomination required) | 11 August 3020 |
Nominations
| Party | Nominee | Home Region | Officially nominated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Conservative* | TBD | ||
| Labour | TBD | ||
| Socialist | TBD | ||
| KRV | TBD | ||
| United Wiltshire | TBD | ||
| Christian Alliance | TBD | ||
| Stability | TBD | ||
| Liberal | Sebastian Bashira | Juneville | 1 September 3020 |
*In 3020, the Liberal Conservative Party did not nominate a candidate, instead endorsing President Gaius Selan.