Election Day in Australia

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

So, if he doesn't win his seat, will he simply bow out gracefully and let someone else take over? Or will he force someone else from his party to give up their seat so that he can retain leadership until the party can find a suitable replacement.

Wait, so a particular district might vote in Guy X, but then are instead told that Mr. Howard will be taking his seat and Guy X won't actually be representing them after all??

[ZenGum]

We have a bi-cameral (two house) parliament.
In the lower house, there are 150 members each returned as individuals by separate districts. The ex-PM Howard was one of these. He got to be an MP by being elected by a district. Then, when his party got the majority in the lower house (thus forming government), the party elected him as PM.
The upper house has 76 members, having 12 from each state (and two from each of the minor territories), elected as a multi-member group from the whole state. These are normally elected on a party ticket - although independents can make it - and if one party member resigns or dies, the party can chose their replacement.
So I guess the idea is that if Howard were to miss out on his electorate, someone could step aside from the upper house ticket and he could slide in on that.
I don't think he'd do this. Senators are supposed to serve for 6 years and its time for Howard to retire, I can't imagine him shunting someone out to serve as opposition leader for six months, and then ... what? resigning himself and letting the first person back in? warming a bench for five years? It's time for him to walk.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Wait, so a particular district might vote in Guy X, but then are instead told that Mr. Howard will be taking his seat and Guy X won't actually be representing them after all??

This couldn't happen in the UK. Gordon Brown was voted in as a Labour MP and still represents his constituency as well as being Prime Minister. Tony Blair is no longer an MP, having retired as PM and there was a by-election (an election for an MP for one constituency only) to replace him.

[Kingswood]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Wait, so a particular district might vote in Guy X, but then are instead told that Mr. Howard will be taking his seat and Guy X won't actually be representing them after all??

It can't happen like that. If someone wins a division (seat), they win the division. The only way that someone else can take over the division would be at a by-election.

The last time there was a by-election specifically to get a leader into the Parliament was in 1968. The Prime Minister, Harold Holt, was missing presumed drowned in late 1967, and John Gorton was elected as the Liberal Leader - and thus Prime Minister. Because he was a member of the Senate, he was constitutionally prohibited from becoming Prime Minister. To get around that difficulty, Gorton resigned from the Senate (and was replaced) and was then elected in the Division of Kooyong to replace the former member, Harold Holt (deceased).

John Howard is now out of politics. He was spotted yesterday playing a round of golf at an exclusive golf club.