November 3018 Wiltshire General Election

Previous Election (July 3018), Next Election (January 3019) The November 3018 Wiltshire General Election took place on November 15, 3018 to elect the 53 members of the Wiltshire National Assembly. The election was scheduled two months prior by Prime Minister Frank Eddington in accordance with the Fixed Term Assembly Act, which required General Elections to be held at least every four months. 
Prime Minister Frank Eddington was seeking another term as Prime Minister, being challenged by Conservative Leader of the Opposition Peter Hay. Hay had been leader of the Conservatives since the election defeat in July 3018. The Conservatives were determined to win back power following nearly three years in opposition.
== Electoral System ==
Each district elects one Assembly Member (AM) to the National Assembly using the first-past-the-post voting system. The party leader who is able to obtain a majority of the support in the assembly would be able to become Prime Minister. This is usually done by a coalition of parties, however (in large victories) a party can win an outright majority of seats.
=== Voter eligibility ===
To vote in the general election, one had to be;
* on the Electoral Register
* aged 18 or over on polling day
* a Wiltshirian Citizen
* not legally excluded from voting (for example, a convicted person detained in prison or mental hospital)
Individuals had to be registered to vote by midnight six days before the election (9th Nov). You could only register in one district, and people with multiple homes were advised to pick their primary residence.
== Date of the Election ==
Due to the passage of the Fixed Term Assembly Act, the National Assembly could not continue for more than four months without a general election. This was violated as four months following the previous general election (July 5, 3018) was passed without the dissolution of the Assembly.
The election was suppose to be held the first Thursday following four months exactly since the last General Election, which would have been November 8th. However, the Assembly voted to extend the term another week to allow for emergency voting on the budget (which needed to be passed to allow extension of deficit borrowing from International Monetary Fund). The election was scheduled for the 15th November. 
Prime Minister Eddington announced in mid-October that he intended to seek re-election in the election, continuing his term as the longest ever serving Prime Minister. 
== Political Groups and Leaders ==
=== The Socialist Party ===
The Socialist Party is the ruling party in Wiltshire and was first elected in January 3016 into government and since then have been re-elected due to their high popularity for instituting social programmes such as the Universal Healthcare Act and the Minimum Wage Act. Prime Minister Frank Eddington has led the party since late 3015 and saw the largest ever electoral victory in January 3016, defeating Prime Minister David Loynd. 
The Socialist Party is a left-wing party which focus' on social welfare and development of the common good. 
=== The Conservative Party ===
The Conservative Party was the founding party of Wiltshire. The first Prime Minister of Wiltshire was Jaresh-Inyo, who led the Conservative Party following the formation of the cities. The party led the country for several years, besides a six month change to the Socialists under Thomas Shore. Wiltshire was a one-party Conservative state until Frank Eddington won. 
The Conservative Party is a centre-right wing party which encourages free-market capitalism and the growth of small and medium sized businesses. The Conservative ideology is the 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' and are, for the most party, against major government welfare programmes. Preferring free-market solutions to poverty and homelessness.
The Leader of the Conservative Party is Peter Hay. Hay was elected following the August 3018 election.
=== The Communist Party ===
The Wiltshire Communist and Social Order Party is the third largest party in Wiltshire and are large supporters of a Communist economic system. The far-left party denies being authoritarian, however does call for stricter legislation on everyday life and a 'new Social Order'.
The Leader of the Communists is Walton Baker who has served since June 3016.
=== The Liberal Party ===
The Liberal Alliance Party is the other major party in Wiltshire. The Liberal Party was, historically, a very powerful party in Wiltshire. Competing with the Socialists for the Second largest party position under Prime Minister Edward Jellico. The Liberal Party believe that in order to remain free, social freedoms must be paramount. They believe that drug use should not illegal and that the government should have an extremely limited role in a citizens life.
However, they do support some small level welfare programmes. The leader of the Liberal Party is Ray Banes.
=== Wiltshire First ===
The Wiltshire First Party was formed in late 3017 to combat rising socialism and immigration. The far-right wing party believes that we should have a closed border with Bonitana and a completely free-market. They won their first seat in August 3018 and are expected to make several gains as they have suddenly risen in the polls.
The leader of Wiltshire First is Michele Yarner.
=== The Green Party ===
The Green Party is a small, left wing, environmental party that argues for a strictly regulated economy and eco-system. They support a green-new-deal and a greater welfare state. The Green Party leader is Don Halloway, however their only Assembly Member is Peter Hart.
== Campaign ==
The Campaign officially began on the first of November, however due to the nature of politics, the campaign realistically began in mid October when Prime Minister Frank Eddington announced his intention to seek re-election as Prime Minister. 
The leadership debate was held on the 10th of November with the leaders of all major parties attending. Discussions ran on healthcare, education and foreign policy. Many believed that the Prime Minister won the debate, however Peter Hay raised some serious concerns for the brand of leadership the Prime Minister was offering.
Opinion polls showed a moderate lead for the Socialists, which steadily decreased over the span of two or so weeks. Before the election, the Socialists led the Conservatives by 4 pts.
Many were predicting the Socialists were to be able to maintain their control of the Assembly, however it was without a doubt going to be closer.
== Results ==
The election saw Frank Eddington re-appointed Prime Minister as they maintained their lead over the Conservatives, however it was a lot closer than many expected. The Socialist's seat numbers went from 22 before the election to only 17 (one more than the Conservatives at 16). Eddington, in order to maintain his position, had to make an arrangement with the Liberal Party. The decision was made three days after the election to form the coalition, and so Frank Eddington continued as Prime Minister.
Here are the results;
== Aftermath ==
=== Government ===
The Socialist and Communist loses meant they could no longer maintain the confidence and supply deal that they had before the election. The Socialist Party announced the day after the election that they would hold coalition talks with the Communist and Liberal Parties, with the Communist Leader stating he intended to support them outright. The Liberal Party took a little more convincing however, and it took four days for an agreement to be reached. 
The new government would be a Socialist-led coalition with the Liberal and Communist Parties. The Conservative leader, Peter Hay, attempted to hold talks with the Liberals. However, this fell through when the Liberals reportedly refused to work with Wiltshire First. He resigned the day the new coalition was formed, and a leadership election was scheduled.
=== Conservative Leadership Election ===
Following the party's inability to form a government following the election, the party leader, Peter Hay, resigned. There was a competition between Assembly Member Darrel Hugh and Shadow Chancellor Audrick Hill. Hill had more experience than Hugh, however Hugh appealed to the populist aspects of the party. The election was scheduled and expected to be tight. This did not happen as Darrel Hugh dropped out of the race unexpectedly in early December, leaving Hill as the leader-elect unopposed.
=== Later By-elections and change in government ===
Following the Socialist's slim lead of the Conservatives was revealed at the general election, the new Conservative Leader, Audrick Hill, announced he would seek to form a government with whomever wanted to negotiate terms.
In late December 3018, the Socialists lost two out of three seats in a set of by-elections, which put them behind the Conservatives. This forced Prime Minister Frank Eddington to resign as Prime Minister and Leader of the Socialist Party. The Liberal Party announced they would not work with Eddington's successor in Government, Deputy Prime Minister Georgia Hanes, and began negotiations with the Conservative Leader, Audrick Hill.
On January 1, 3019, Frank Eddington submitted his formal resignation to the new Governor-General, Ludwig Kohl, and the National Assembly voted for Audrick Hill as Eddington's successor (as the Liberals came to a coalition agreement with Wiltshire First and the Conservatives).