Leadership and Parliamentary Candidate Selection by Mark Taha

 Leadership and Parliamentary Candidate Selection 

by

Mark Taha

"Re candidate selection- I believe in fixed term four yearly general elections at the beginning of May. All candidates to.be selected the previous January by one member one vote postal ballot with Alternative Vote, the shortlist consisting of anyone who can get a proposer and seconder from the local party members. Each member would be sent a ballot paper and another piece of paper with a maximum 100-word election address from each prospective candidate. Bye- election candidates to be selected in the same way as far as possible.

For the party leadership- annual election every July. 10% of MPs to nominate each candidate. Postal ballot of all members - if nobody gets over 50% a runoff among MPs between the top two. The leader nominates their deputy and makes all other appointments subject to confirmation by MPs. If the leadership falls vacant during the year, the deputy leader takes over."

Comment by John Strafford:  Interesting proposal, although postal ballots are too expensive at a local level.   The internet could be used instead.