January 3019 Wiltshire General Election

All 53 members of the Wiltshire National Assembly

The **January 3019 Wiltshire General Election** was held on January 28, 3019, saw the election of the 21st Wiltshire National Assembly and the first to be held during the 3019 Wiltshire Political Crisis. The election was also the first in Wiltshirian history to be called as a result of a government shutdown. Incumbent Conservative Prime Minister Audrick Hill sought a mandate as Prime Minister after replacing longtime Socialist Prime Minister Frank Eddington less than a month earlier. Hill was successful and won the first Conservative majority since 3014. This is the last election in which the Conservative party formed a government or was the largest party.

The election was the last to see the traditional Conservative/Socialist major party dynamic as the election would lead onto the Wiltshire NNF Membership Referendum and the formation of the Labour Party. This is, to date, the last election in which a single political party won an overall majority at a general election.

## 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

The Elections Act of 3015 dictated the election to be held on February 14, 3019. However, the National Assembly voted unanimously to hold the election early due to the government shutdown. On the 17th of January 3019, the National Assembly voted 50-0 in favor of calling the early election, with three Liberal AMs abstaining.

Due to the Elections Act of 3015, the election must be held on the first Thursday following the dissolution of the National Assembly by order of the President of the National Assembly. The National Assembly was dissolved on the 19th January, 3019 and so the election is to be held on January 24.

## Political Groups and Leaders

### **The Conservative Party**

The Conservative Party was the ruling party in Wiltshire and took office following the by-election defeats for the Socialists in late 3018. The Leader of the Conservative Party was Prime Minister Audrick Hill. Hill had been leader since the Conservatives' narrow defeat in November 3018.

The Conservatives were an economically right wing, socially libertarian party that believe in free-market capitalism and in the advantages of low taxes and few regulations.

### **The Socialist Party**

The Socialist Party was the second largest party in Wiltshire and were in government until less than a month before the election when they lost two seats in by-elections to the Conservative Party. The leader of the Socialists was Rita Smith. Smith became leader following Prime Minister Frank Eddington's resignation and has vowed to protect the socialized medicine system.

The Socialist Party was a left-wing party that believes in a regulated economy that works for the common good, however, does not deny the usefulness and need of capitalism, just to a smaller degree.

### **Wiltshire First**

The Wiltshire First Party was the newest party on the political scene, being formed in late 3017 to combat rising socialism and immigration. The far-right wing party believed in a closed border with Bonitana and a completely free-market. In November 3018, they had great success, winning 6 seats. They entered a coalition with the Conservatives in early 3019 to form a government with Prime Minister Audrick Hill.

The Leader of Wiltshire First was Michele Yarner who was the founder of the party and Deputy Prime Minister.

### **The Liberal Party**

The Liberal Alliance Party was a centrist political party that believed in social freedoms with moderate economic regulation from the government. They were described as the only pro-corporate liberals in Doggerland and believed in lower taxes for workers. They believed that drugs should be legalized and that the government should have an extremely limited role in a citizen's life. However, they did support small level welfare programs such as Universal Healthcare.

The Leader of the Liberal Party was Ray Banes, whos' resignation as the Foreign Minister in the Conservative-led coalition led to the general election.

### **The Communist Party**

The Wiltshire Communist and Social Order Party was a far-left wing party that believed in abolishing the free-market capitalist system for a communist system of government and economy. The party denied being authoritarian, however did call for stricter legislation on everyday life and for a 'new social order'.

The Leader of the Communists was former Deputy Prime Minister of Wiltshire Walton Baker, who supported Eddington's Socialist Government until Audrick Hill took power.

### **The Green Party**

The Green Party was a small, left-wing, environmental party that argued for a strictly regulated economy and eco-system. They supported a green new deal and a greater welfare state. The Green Party leader was Don Halloway, however, their only Assembly Member was Peter Hart. Hart would later defect to the Labour Party, once it was founded following the general election.

## Campaign

### **Government Shutdown**

The Wiltshire Federal Government was shutdown on the 15th January due to a dispute over the Federal Budget. The Wiltshire Budget is passed quarterly. However, at the end of 3018, no budget was passed due to the change of government (which resulted in Audrick Hill becoming Prime Minister). This led to a motion known as a continuing resolution to be passed in the National Assembly, which extended the previous budget for 16 days.

When the Conservative Party got into government on the first of January, they were unable to pass a fresh budget due to their full push to end the socialized medicine system, introduced by Frank Eddington in 3016. Once the 16 days had passed, the National Assembly needed to vote to extend the budget.

The vote was planned on the evening of the 14th, five hours before the end of the previous continuing resolution. However, the Prime Minister attached an amendment which would freeze public worker pay growth to 2% for the entire year. This move happened less than 45 minutes before the vote, and resulted in the Socialist Opposition (which planned on voting in favor of the resolution) to vote against.

Due to this, the budget was not extended and the funding for the Federal Government ended on the 15th of January. The Conservatives attempted to re-open the government by re-introducing the resolution, however refused to remove the amendment on freezing public sector pay. The Socialists demanded a general election to resolve the dispute. The Prime Minister initially refused, however, he called for the election following his sixth defeat.

### **Pain Policy differences**

The Conservatives were offering a change in economic strategy for Wiltshire. The plan was to move away from the socialized system formed under Prime Minister Frank Eddington which, according to the Conservative Leader, caused 'weakness in our economy, military and society'.

The Socialists were offering a return to the Frank Eddington brand of socialism, with light free-market elements mixed in. The Socialists' plan for universal employment was bold, however that on top of continuing and expanding the universal healthcare system required higher taxes, which the Socialist Party proudly admits to.

The Healthcare debate was one of the most divisive issues of the campaign. The Socialists, along with Greens, Communists and Liberals were in favor of retaining the Universal Healthcare system (with a few modifications, for example the Liberals wanted private insurance paid for by government, called a single-payer system). Whereas the Conservatives and Wiltshire First were offering a completely free-market approach to healthcare.

Another dividing point was Wiltshire's relations with the IDO (International Defence Organization) and the EFR (Eastern Federal Republic). The Socialists planned to move Wiltshire away from the IDO with a referendum on membership. They planned to move Wiltshire closer with the EFR. The Conservatives were less clear, and did promise a re-negotiation with the IDO, however the party seemed to back becoming less reliant on the EFR. The Conservatives offered a referendum on NNF Membership.