2005 Scalizagastian federal election

2005 Scalizagastian federal election

7 May 2005
All 500 seats in the Parliament of Scalizagasti 251 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Russel Balfour Samson Rock Gary Biyende Party Revolutionary Republican Party Liberal-Conservative Alliance New Scalizagasti Party Leader since 25 October 2000 14 October 2000 11 February 2005 Leader's seat Ostrawijan South Dunedin Jurein North Last election 203 seats, 36.6% 139 seats, 25.3% Pre-creation Seats before 203 90 57 Seats won 139 138 82 Seat change 64 48 25 Percentage 25.3% 25.6% 15.4% Swing 11.3pp 0.3pp 15.4pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Max Sormann Jake Leurgin Bodi Lampoche Party Social Democratic Party Patriotic Defense Movement Labour and Socialist Party Leader since 31 March 2005 28 July 1999 29 November 1998 Leader's seat Monulla Palgaroca South Liahuan Last election 86 seats, 16.2% 19 seats, 4.6% 9 seats, 2.5% Seats before 85 11 10 Seats won 69 21 7 Seat change 16 10 3 Percentage 13.0% 4.7% 2.3% Swing 3.2pp 0.1pp 0.2pp   Seventh party Eighth party Ninth party   Leader Katherine Sorres Adrian Lutz-Schürmann Francis Wright Party Progressive People's Party Holispet First Green Party Leader since 2 November 2004 22 May 1996 14 August 1999 Leader's seat Ostrawijan North Haprian Group Sunshine Coast Last election 5 seats, 1.7% 11 seats, 1.7% 3 seats, 1.4% Seats before 5 11 3 Seats won 7 8 6 Seat change 2 3 3 Percentage 1.7% 1.3% 2.2% Swing 0.0pp 0.4pp 0.8pp
Prime Minister before election Russel Balfour RRP Prime Minister after election Samson Rock LCA

The 2005 Scalizagastian federal election was held on May 7, 2005, to elect 500 members of the Parliament of Scalizagasti. The centre-right Liberal-Conservative Alliance, led by then-Deputy Prime Minister Samson Rock, narrowly defeated incumbent Prime Minister Russel Balfour's Revolutionary Republican Party after only 158 days in office. Rock formed a minority coalition with the New Scalizagasti Party, whose leader, Gary Biyende, had left the Alliance 85 days earlier. Rock's government would last only three years until he was replaced as Prime Minister by his coalition partner Gary Biyende after the 2008 election. The coalition between the Alliance and New Scalizagasti Party would continue until 2016 when both parties experienced severe defeat to the opposition.

Background

The Revolutionary Republican Party and Liberal-Conservative Alliance were the two largest parties following the 2004 federal election, forming a grand coalition government. Neither party wanted to work with the Social Democrats, who were seen as corrupt and untrustworthy due to the Alpodes Scandal that toppled their government. 49 MPs from the Alliance would leave the coalition and form the New Scalizagasti Party in February 2005 after the coalition legalized same-sex marriage throughout the country. Sensing a surge in the polls for the Alliance, Rock pulled out of the coalition in May. Although SDP leader Max Sormann declared that he would support the government in a vote of non-confidence, Prime Minister Balfour refused any support from the Social Democrats and called a snap election.