Writ of election

Common card · No. 396480

A writ of election is a writ issued ordering the holding of an election. In Commonwealth countries writs are the usual mechanism by which by-elections are called and are issued by the head of state or their representative. In the United States, writs are more commonly used to call special elections for political offices. In some countries, especially in Canada, the process of issuing writs of election is referred to as "dropping the writ", likely derived from the phrase "drawing up the writ". In some parliamentary systems, the head of government (e.g. prime minister or premier) advises the head of state to issue writs of election (typically following the dissolution of parliament in order to hold general elections, but also for by-elections). The head of state usually reserves the right to refuse the request, in which case the head of government is required by convention or statute to resign. For example, in the case of a minority government, the head of state can deny the request for dissolution...

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