11 December 2014 25 October 2016 12 seats, 38.4% 11 seats, 36.4% 1 2 | 25 October 2016 20 October 2012 11 seats, 36.4% 2 seats, 10.3% 2 11 | |
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A general election for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly will be held on Saturday, 17 October 2020.
The unicameral parliament uses the proportional Hare-Clark system to elect 25 members in five constituencies electing five members each.
Background
Labor led by Jon Stanhope came to power as a minority government at the 2001 election with the support of the Greens and Democrats who held the balance of power. The 2004 election resulted in a historic majority government for Labor, the first time the ACT elected a parliamentary majority. Labor again formed a minority government after the 2008 election resulted in a Green balance of power – Labor seven seats, Liberal six seats, Greens four seats. Stanhope resigned as Chief Minister and Labor leader on 12 May 2011, and was replaced by his deputy, Katy Gallagher. The Greens retained their balance of power in the 2012 election despite losing the majority of their representation, with sole representative Shane Rattenbury entering the cabinet to form a coalition government. Andrew Barr, Gallagher's deputy, later replaced her on 11 December 2014 after Gallagher resigned to enter the Senate in the vacancy left by Kate Lundy.
The 2016 election was the first to be contested with an enlarged Legislative Assembly of 25 members. Labor, led by Barr, won twelve seats, the Liberals led by Jeremy Hanson eleven, while the Greens again held the balance of power with two seats. Barr was re-elected as Chief Minister, with Hanson replaced by Alistair Coe as Leader of the Opposition.
Election dates are set in statute with four-year fixed terms, to be held on the third Saturday of October every four years.