June 2022 Wrythe and Helinium local elections
The June 2022 Wrythe and Helinium local elections took place on 5 June 2022. The elections were held to elect a Representative and a Mayor for the City of Wrythe, and a Representative for the newly annexed Town of Helinium. Representatives speak and vote on behalf of their city or town in the House of Representatives, whereas Mayors have functions in local government for cities.
Both constituencies saw a single candidate stand for election to each available positions, and all three candidates were elected with 100% of the vote. Voters had the option to abstain, which renders an election inconclusive should it gain more votes than the candidate.
The incumbent Representative of Wrythe and Acting Representative of Helinium - Emperor Jonathan I and Bradley, King of the Romans respectively - were re-elected as Representatives. Emperor Father Terry was re-elected Mayor of Wrythe.
Results
| Name | Number of votes | Percentage of votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Representative (100% turnout) | |||
| HIM Emperor Jonathan I | 4 | 100% | |
| Abstain | 0 | 0% | |
| Mayor (100% turnout) | |||
| HIH Emperor Father Terry | 4 | 100% | |
| Abstain | 0 | 0% | |
| Name | Number of votes | Percentage of votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Representative (100% turnout) | |||
| Bradley, King of the Romans | 2 | 100% | |
| Abstain | 0 | 0% | |
Legal issues
On 15 May 2022, the day after Helinium was annexed to Austenasia, a local election was called for that Town with the requisite three weeks notice. A local election was also called for Wrythe after it was noticed that the maximum length of time between local elections had already passed for said city.
The Austenasian Constitution of 2011 states that "there must be at least one Local Election in each Town every five years," and if "a Local Election is not ordered by the Monarch three weeks before the date when it shall have been five years since the last Local Election in that Town, than a Local Election shall automatically be ordered under this Constitution" (Article V, Section B, Paragraphs C and D). The last local election in Wrythe had taken place on 9 February 2017, meaning that one should have been ordered by 19 January 2022 at the latest. However, the expiration of this date had gone unnoticed by the Emperor and no election had yet taken place, and so the question arose as to the meaning of a local election being "automatically" ordered under the Constitution. After consultation with the Attorney-General and the Privy Council's Advisor on Law, Jonathan I issued an Imperial Decree addressing the issue.
The decree ordered that should the maximum length of time between two local elections be exceeded, then the overdue local election could be called by an official other than the Monarch: it could be called by the Prime Minister, or by the Representative, Mayor, Town Council, Landed Noble, or Police Inspector of the respective Town or City. All other aspects of the local election would remain the same, but having been "automatically" ordered by the Constitution it would not require the explicit instruction of the Throne to proceed.
