Elections in Ibagli

Ibagli has two types of elections: general and local. General elections are not held on a specific date, but must be held within five years of the last. They are traditionally held on a Thursday. Local elections are held on the third Thursday in February every five years, though they can be moved to coincide with a general election being held in the four weeks before or after the scheduled date.

Eligibility

Any person resident in Ibagli who is a citizen of Ibagli and is age 18 or over is eligible to vote in elections in Ibagli, except for the Chief Electoral Officer and people who are imprisoned for a criminal offence, are mentally incapable of making a reasoned judgement, or have been convicted of corrupt or illegal practices in connection with an election within the previous five years. Before the abolition of the Senate in 2011, Senators were permitted to vote only in local elections; this restriction was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2011, but as constitutional legislation abolishing the Senate at the dissolution of the sitting parliament had already been enacted, no Senators were in office at the time of the next election. Until 1979, all Commonwealth citizens were eligible to vote in Ibagli, as were citizens of the Republic of Ireland; those who were registered to vote before 1979 may continue to vote. Voting is not compulsory in Ibagli.

Though the Queen is theoretically not prohibited from voting, in practice it would be seen as unconstitutional, as she is herself a part of the Ibaglian Parliament; in addition, it would be seen as compromising her political neutrality. It is for the latter reason that the Governor-General traditionally does not vote in elections. Until 2011, Ibaglian citizens who moved abroad are allowed to vote for ten years thereafter in the constituency they were last domiciled in. This was also applicable to people who were under 18 before they moved abroad; when they reach 18 they are permitted to vote. Armed forces personnel, diplomats and other public servants resident overseas were eligible notwithstanding the amount of time they have resided overseas. In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution requires that all citizens of Ibagli be allowed to vote regardless of their place of residence. Voters must appear on the electoral register in order to vote; they can now be added to the register until eleven working days before the election.

Referendums

The first referendum in Ibagli was held in 2009. It was held for the purpose of determining whether or not Ibagli should return to the first-past-the-post electoral system used until the 2004 General Election. The referendum, however, was purely consultatory and not binding on the government. The legislation enabling the referendum, introduced by John Goodwin's Conservative government, was opposed by the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. After the referendum was well-received by the public, the Goodwin government introduced an amendment to the Constitution Act that would allow further amendments to be made by a majority vote of the House of Commons and a majority vote in a referendum. The Liberal Party chose not to oppose the amendment in the Commons or the Senate, and the amendment was approved in January 2010. The government announced at that time that it would introduce a constitutional amendment that would abolish the Senate, and that the amendment would be the subject of the first referendum under the Constitution Act.

List of General Elections

Date of Election	Conservative Seats	Liberal Seats	Other Seats
12 May 1955	23	37
6 August 1959	33	26
25 July 1963	46	14
22 June 1967	37	23
3 August 1972	8	51	Social Credit: 1
7 October 1976	29	28	Social Credit: 3
5 May 1977	17	42	Social Credit: 1
15 June 1981	38	17	Social Credit: 4 Independent: 1
15 August 1985	41	16	Social Credit: 2 Independent: 1
26 October 1989	25	34	Independent: 1
25 August 1994	37	23
19 August 1999	44	13	Green: 1
12 August 2004	27	30	Green: 3
12 January 2006	23	24	Independent-IDU: 7 Green: 6
16 November 2006	32	21	Green: 4 INAP: 2 Social Democratic: 1
25 August 2011	24	35	Ropu Sa'olotoga: 1
4 September 2014	21	38	Ropu Sa'olotoga: 1
21 September 2017	27	32	Ropu Sa'olotoga: 1