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 have been 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. Senators may only vote in local elections. Until 1974, all Commonwealth citizens were eligible to vote in Ibagli, as were citizens of the Republic of Ireland. 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 reaosn that the Governor-General traditionally does not vote in elections. Ibaglian citizens who move abroad are allowed to vote for ten years thereafter in the constituency they were last domiciled in. This is 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 are eligible notwithstanding the amount of time they have resided overseas. 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.