THE makeup of the next States Assembly has been decided – but a number of steps still need to be taken before the Island’s newly-elected parliament can get to work.
Following confirmation of the nine Senators, 28 Deputies and 12 Constables who will serve Islanders for the next four years, attention now turns to which of them will become Chief Minister.
Any successful candidate is eligible to be nominated, regardless of whether they are a Senator, Deputy or Constable.
Nominations must be submitted by 5pm on Thursday 11 June, each requiring the support of at least six other States Members.
Those stepping forward must also provide a statement outlining their vision and priorities, as well as how they would carry out the responsibilities of the role.
The newly-elected Members of the Assembly will be formally sworn in at the Royal Court on Friday 12 June and, a week later, meet to appoint a Chief-Minister-designate.
Candidates will each deliver a speech of up to ten minutes before facing questions from fellow Members for up to an hour.
If only one candidate is nominated, they will become Chief-Minister-designate once questioning concludes.
Where there is more than one candidate, Members will vote. If no candidate secures a majority and more than two people are standing, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated after each round until a winner emerges.
The next task will be the formation of the new government.
The Chief-Minister-designate is expected to deliver a declaration of their intended ministerial nominations – including the order in which they wish for the Assembly to vote on them – by the morning of Friday 26 June.
The following Monday, the Assembly will sit to vote on ministerial appointments.
While the Chief-Minister-designate proposes candidates, it is at this stage that other Members can also be proposed for ministerial roles.
Once every position has been filled the Council of Ministers is formally established and the Chief-Minister-designate officially becomes Chief Minister.
Additionally, Members will elect the chairs of the Planning Committee, Privileges and Procedures Committee, Public Accounts Committee and the five Scrutiny Panels.
The first ‘standard’ meeting will take place on 14 July.
