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The August 3019 National Party Leadership Election was triggered following the resignation of Fillmore Grey as Leader of the National Party and Director of Wiltshire after his defeat in the Wiltshire Independence Referendum on August 26, 3019. Nominations are set to open on the August 28 and close on August 30. The first ballot will be held on August 31, with subsequent ballots being held on September 1 if no candidate received a majority on the first ballot on August 31.
This election came as quite the shock to many and is expected to take place extremely quickly, due to the National Party needing a leader for the upcoming September 3019 Wiltshire Legislative Elections. Grey's popularity was high and so it came as a surprise when he resigned and left a power vacuum within the party. It is still unclear whether this series of events has hurt the National Party's standing in the polls.
Procedures
Following a formal notification presented by the Party Leader to the National Party Executive Committee, the Chair of the National Party (currently Mr. Zach Rees AM) sends a notification to the Leader of the Assembly (currently Mr. Bernard Canterbury) that at least one ballot will need to be held for the leadership to select a successor. A candidate for the leadership requires a majority of National Party AMs (31) to be elected. If no candidate receives the majority in the first ballot, a second ballot will be held with a new passing threshold of 15% support. If no candidate still doesn't receive the majority then a third ballot will be held with a passing threshold of 30%, then 45%. This means that there should only ever be a maximum of 5 rounds. If there is only one candidate by the conclusion of nominations, the single candidate is elected leader unanimously.
The election for leader and the election for deputy leader are not the same and are not held simultaneously. In the event the incumbent Deputy Leader, Lucy Hobbs, wins the election for leader or resigns then there will be a separate election for her successor.
Candidates
There are currently two candidates, they are;
| Candidate | Seconder | Announced | Office(s) | Support level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucy Hobbs AM | Ray Banes AM | 26 August, 3019 | Deputy Director of WiltshireDeputy Leader of the National Party
Minister for Work and Pensions |
Unknown |
| Jim Balfour AM | Michele Yarner AM | 26 August, 3019 | Home Minister | Unknown |