Question: how does alberta determine who the premier is

title: Premier of Alberta
text: To be effective , accountable and in line with custom , the premier does hold a seat in the legislature , so the premier serves as the MLA for a riding , and is elected as the MLA by the constituents of that constituency . As with most government leaders in a parliamentary system , the premier usually wins his or her own election as MLA easily . However , on occasion , a premier has not been re-elected to their seat in a general election , forcing them to run in a by - election in a constituency that comes empty by the resignation of the sitting MLA or other incident . The most recent case of this was Don Getty , who lost his Edmonton - Whitemud seat in the 1989 election and then ran and was elected in a by - election in Drumheller - Stettler . In 2014 Jim Prentice was elected party leader without holding a seat in the legislative assembly , thus becoming premier , and won a Calgary - Foothills by - election in order to gain a seat in the assembly . 

Answer: answer: The premier holds a seat in the legislature, so the premier serves as the MLA for a riding and is elected as the MLA by the constituents of that constituency.  If a premier has not been re-elected to their seat in a general election, forcing them to run in a by - election in a constituency that comes empty by the resignation of the sitting MLA or other incident.
answer: The premier holds a seat in the legislature, so the premier serves as the MLA for a riding and is elected as the MLA by the constituents of that constituency. If a premier is not re-elected to their seat in a general election, they will need to run in a by-election in a constituency that comes empty by the resignation of the sitting MLA or other incident.