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What does the ousted Chief Minister do while waiting to be replaced? How much grilling will candidates face before the vote? Can States Members vote from holiday in the Caribbean?
Ahead of the big vote getting underway today, Express explains the process...
After a sitting Chief Minister is ousted, a new Chief Minister has to be selected within seven clear working days.
Once they fall, their preferred Council of Ministers also falls – and it will be up to the successful replacement to select a new team.
Anyone who wants to stand for the post needs at least six supporters, and must submit a ‘vision statement’ . This statement should set out the strategy they’d use to guide them in the role and the “manner in which the candidate would propose to discharge his or her responsibilities”.
Pictured: The three candidates.
That must be done the day after the vote.
Here's what our three candidates – Deputies Lyndon Farnham, Ian Gorst and Sam Mézec – have set out.
It isn’t – look what happened with Deputy Tom Binet…
Pictured: Deputy Tom Binet leaving the States Chamber last Tuesday following the successful vote of no confidence.
The ‘VONC’-bringer himself missed out on the opportunity to run for the top political job by mere minutes.
If they’ve any common sense, candidates will rush around canvasing support from States Members in the hope of getting enough backers.
Another unusual thing happens – the current Chief Minister and their Council of Ministers become ‘caretakers’ and the civil service enters a sort of ‘purdah’.
That’s right, they should only think about operational matters.
They also can’t use the Government’s PR and Communications unit.
Those ‘purdah’ rules this week saw some university students plunged into confusion over their finance applications, as they were told that the department would have to hold off processing them in case a new Minister decided on a new policy direction.
Only States Members can vote – although they are expected to take into account the thoughts of their constituents.
Reform Jersey leader and Chief Ministerial hopeful Sam Mézec decided to make a direct appeal to the public this week at a hustings event. The other two candidates decided against holding one.
The day will start at 09:30 with roll call and prayers, after which the Bailiff will ask for the Greffier of the States to read out the nominations and draw lots to determine the order in which the candidates will address the Assembly.
Each candidate is able to give a 10-minute speech, and they then get questions for one hour from other States Members.
The other candidates have to leave the States Chamber while this happens. They are not allowed to listen in to the proceedings.
Once speeches and questions are over, an open ballot takes place.
Politicians must write their own name and indicate their preferred candidate on pre-printed ballot papers which are read out.
If there are more than two candidates and no one receives more than half of the votes, the candidate with the lowest number of votes will drop out and a new ballot begins. This continues until one candidate gets more than half of the votes.
That was exactly the argument of Deputy Moz Scott, who said she had arranged a “long-awaited break” with her partner between scheduled States sittings.
She therefore put forward a proposal to change the law so that States Members who booked travels abroad in advance would be able to participate remotely.
It was already possible to participate remotely as a result of the pandemic so as to allow States Membesr who were isolating or unwell to still take part in States sittings, but the Bailiff ruled that this did not extend to “general permission to participate from anywhere in the world” and that other forms of absence, such as being away on States business, would not apply.
Deputy Scott’s proposition was urgently debated and agreed by politicians last week – among the supporters was Deputy tom Coles, who confirmed he also had travel arrangements with his wife.
But not everyone was happy with it. Deputy Philip Bailhache said: “The election of a Chief Minister is an important matter and Members should be present in the Assembly.
“I am not comfortable with the vision of a Member sitting on a Caribbean beach with his or her telephone and participating in the debate in this Assembly.
“I have great sympathy for those who have made arrangements but I think that’s just the way things go. The fact that Members should be in the Assembly for such an important matter is overriding.”
They are not able to officially take up their position until all 11 Ministers have been appointed. A meeting to decide on these must be held two clear working days after the close of the session in which the Chief Minister was chosen.
This will be Tuesday 30 January, in order to appoint the Council of Ministers.
The successful Chief Minister candidate will have to provide a list of their preferred nominees by 09:30 the day before.
Yes – nominations can be made by others in the Chamber.
Each Ministerial candidate gets 10 minutes to make their case in a speech upon which they’ll be grilled for a further 20 minutes. Other candidates must wait outside and not listen in.
A speech must still be made even if there is only one candidate. However, a single candidate will be automatically elected if they face no competition.
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