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The Provincial Assembly of the Province of Wiltshire is the legislature for the city of Wiltshire and the township of Walkerton.
The Assembly is composed of 120 elected Assembly Members (AMs) who represent one of the districts. They are elected at a general election every three months by first-past-the-post and hold their seats until the Assembly is dissolved.
The last General Election was held on June 13, 3019.
Procedure
Elections and nominations
Following a general election, the elected members of the Provincial Assembly are convened on the Friday following the election (in accordance with the Elections Act of 3015). The first sitting of the new Assembly has two crucial jobs;
- Appoint a President of the Provincial Assembly
- Nominate a/confirm confidence in the Provincial Director.
The first of these - Appoint a President of the Provincial Assembly - is chaired by the Governor-General (who always chairs the first meeting). The Assembly elects a President who will serve as chair of the Provincial Assembly until their resignation or its dissolution. This normally comes in the form of re-confirming the incumbent President. However, on occasion, there is an election for a new President. Candidates are given 10 minutes to speak to the whole Assembly before they vote.
The second of these jobs - Nominate the Provincial Director - is the most important role of the first sitting of the Assembly. This normally comes in the form of the Leader of the Political group with the majority support in the new Assembly. However, some times there is uncertainty about whom can command majority support In the Assembly, and then the vote will decide who becomes Director. In the event that no Director is selected, the Assembly is given 5 days to appoint a Director to form a government. If they cannot, the Assembly is dissolved and another General Election is scheduled. In the meantime, the incumbent Director remains Director.
Once the Director-designate is nominated, they leave the chamber with the chairing Governor-General for a few minutes to a formal meeting. In the meeting the Governor-General officially appoints the leader Director. Then they both re-enter the chamber, and the President of the Provincial Assembly administers the oath of office.