The current elections have been quite intense already, and they will continue to be for about two more weeks. This could be, or not, the first election of a Prime Minister who's first name is not Frances, Jude or Yuri. So, to give you all something to think about at night when you're checking the polls, I'd like to describe what will happen between January 26th and February 1st. I will not be the key figure in the process, but having written the law (ahem) and having participated in both 2008 and 2010, I am the right person to introduce you all to this interesting topic.
PM: getting elected[]
So, what does the Constitution say about this?
- The candidate who received votes worth the most points, will become Member of the Congress and Prime Minister. In the case of an ex aequo, priority is given to the candidate with the most Major Votes.
The person with the highest number of votes becomes Prime Minister-elect (until February 1st), although this is not an official function. He or she will first have to form a government, which will be inaugurated on the first day of February.
Forming a government[]
The current law says:
- The monarch and Prime Minister will chose which Members of the Congress will become Secretaries of a certain Department. Their proposal needs to be accepted by a normal majority in Congress.
That's pretty obvious. In 2008 and 2010, we did it this way: Yuri sent me an e-mail and we talked about the possibilities of a government. Since the previous governments were not party-bound, that part was really simple. We discussed who should take which department. Of course, we also had to agree on the matter of which departments should exist in the upcoming year. We usually got there pretty quickly. People with special talents or interests were often given priority, although we had to take party affiliation into account as well. If you choose to form a government coalition, it is important that you split the departments fairly. Another thing to keep in mind was the number of votes received. The top candidates were often given priority as well.
In previous years, Congress did not need to confirm the government composition. Since the reforms me and Yuri implemented in 2010, Congress now does. This is a fair mechanism to make sure the majority of the elected MOTCs is willing to cooperate with this or that government. Cooperation is the key to a successful policy.
I have the suspicion 2011 will be different. The PM-elect might want to choose a limited government coalition, with only progressive or liberal/centrist members. I don't know whether this is a good or a bad evolution. It's up to Congress to determine these things. I do believe in a strong government, which can agree on significant issues.
This is what I believe would be the way to do this, chronologically:
- You get elected, you party and you drink;
- You talk to your party or your advisors and ask them what they think would be the best for the nation and the people;
- You send me an e-mail, with some suggestions. I get back to you and we consider the options and possibilities. If you have a strong preference for this or that secretary, I will not hold up the process. What I will do, is keep an eye on the good composition of the government - it has to be balanced and proportional;
- We agree and we propose this to the not-yet-2011 Congress;
- In all likelihood, they agree within a day or two;
- Congress, the Prime Minister and the government are inaugurated. Congratulations!
If there are any questions about what PMs and/or MOTCs can/must do, just ask 
. I'm pretty well informed about the laws of Lovia ^^.