When is the next election for the GLA?
The next GLA elections are to be held on 10th June 2004.
Which posts are due for re-election?
As with the Westminster Parliament all London Assembly seats plus the position of Mayor will be
contested at the same time.
Will Assembly members still be elected via two different routes – the constituency members
and Londonwide ‘top-up’ members?
Yes. The manner in which Assembly elections are held is dictated by the GLA Act passed by
Parliament. The GLA has no powers to vary these arrangements. In addition the ‘top-up’ members
ensure that all views are represented in the assembly.
So there’ll be no difference between this election and the first one?
Well the Mayor has publicly spoken out against the mechanical counting of the votes in the first
ever (2000) GLA election which was widely viewed as a failure. It is likely that some changes will
be made there. In addition the voters of London will have a better idea about the body they are
electing which will hopefully ensure a higher turnout.
Has any party selected their candidate for Mayor yet?
Yes. Nicky Gavron was announced as the official Labour candidate on 6th November 2002 with Ken
Livingstone expected to be seeking re-election as an independent candidate. However in late 2003 Ms
Gavron stepped down as Labour candidate and shortly after Mayor Livingstone was readmitted to the
Labour Party. He is now expected to the Labour Candidate.
The Tories have announced Steve as their candidate. Mr Norris came second to Ken Livingstone with
42% of the vote in the 2000 mayoral election. For the Lib Dems Simon Hughes MP will be leading the
charge and hoping to improve in Susan Kramer’s 2000 result.
In May 2003 the line up of major party candidates was completed with the selection of Darren for the
Greens. Other canidates candidates include Ram Gidoomal of the Christian Peoples Alliance and Frank
Maloney for UKIP.
Will
MayorWatch be covering the next elections?
As an general information resource MayorWatch isn’t really geared up for covering the election in minute detail. However we will be carrying the main events and possibly a few special reports.
Where can I get more information about the technical aspects of the election?
The greater London Returning Officer has launched a website at http://www.londonelects.org.uk/ which explains all the legal and technical aspects of the election.
