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id="ctl00_ctl00_SiteSpecificPlaceholder_PageContent_ctlMainBody_wrapperDiv" class="rte"> <p></p><div> <strong> <h2>When was the current Speaker elected?<br/></h2></strong>The election of Speaker Bercow first took place on 22 June 2009. <h2>What happened on that day?</h2> <ul> <li>Nominations were formally tabled between 9:30 and 10:30am.</li> <li>In the absence of a Speaker the Father of the House (Rt Hon Alan Williams MP, Swansea West, elected 1964) took the chair and presided over proceedings of the House. </li> <li>After the business began at 2:30pm, each candidate had a chance to address the House. The order of candidates speaking was chosen by the Father of the House by drawing lots earlier in the day.</li> <li>All MPs were then able to vote for their preferred candidate by secret ballot. As no candidate achieved over half the vote there were further rounds of voting. </li> <li>For following rounds, any candidates who achieved less than 5% of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes and any candidates who chose to withdraw from the election were removed from the ballot paper. This continued until one candidate achieved over half of the votes cast or only one candidate remained. </li> <li>A motion was put before the House proposing the successful candidate as Speaker. </li> <li>When the question was agreed, the Member then took the Chair as Speaker-elect. Traditionally he is pulled ‘reluctantly’ to the chair. </li> <li>The Speaker-elect goes to the House of Lords to receive the Queen’s approbation from a Royal Commission. </li></ul> <h2>How long does the process take?</h2> <p>The time taken to get a candidate with the support of half of the votes cast in a ballot will depend on how many candidates present themselves for the position. There may be several rounds of voting each of which may take up to two hours.  At the election of Speaker Bercow proceedings started at 2.30pm and there were three rounds of voting with the Speaker-elect taking the chair at 8.30pm.</p> <h2>Was this the first time the Speaker has been elected?</h2> <p>No, the election of a Speaker takes place at the beginning of every Parliament and every time a Speaker steps down from the post. The timetable and procedure for the election of a Speaker are set out in Standing Orders 1, 1A and 1B. Standing order 1A has been used before in the re-election of the Speaker in 2001 and 2005, but this is the first time the system of exhaustive secret ballot introduced in 2001 and set out in Standing Order No. 1B will have been used to elect a new Speaker. </p> <h2>What is different from the old system to elect a Speaker?</h2> <p>The old system was based on a motion put to the House. In the motion, one candidate would be proposed as Speaker and the other candidates would be presented as successive amendments to the main motion. One key change in the new system is the introduction of an exhaustive secret ballot system. Each MP will be able to vote for their candidate without anyone else knowing who they voted for. The new system also allows MPs to vote for any of the candidates on the first ballot. </p> <h2>Why was the system changed?</h2> <p>The old system put an emphasis on the candidate who would be proposed first to the House and this provided the Father of the House with a difficult decision. The system also meant that it was possible for candidates to be presented as later amendments to the first name not to be considered at all by the House, as an earlier candidate might win before they were reached. The new system was adopted by the House following recommendations made by the Procedure Committee in a report published in 2000-01.</p> <p> </p> </div> </div>  </div> </div> <div id="panel"> <div class="local-module">  <h2>Related information</h2>  <div class="local-module-content"> <div class="itemImageWithTitle"> <a id="ctl00_ctl00_SiteSpecificPlaceholder_ctlRightHandModuleContainer_ctl00_rptLocalModuleItems_ctl00_ctlLocalModuleItem_hypLink"> <strong>House of Commons Information Office</strong> </a> </div> <div class="itemText">  <div class="rte main-introduction"> <ul> <li>Telephone: 020 7219 4272</li> <li>Email: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120117064042/mailto:hcinfo@parliament.uk">hcinfo@parliament.uk</a></li> <li>Text phone: Dial 18001 followed by 020 7219 4272</li> <li><a href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/hcio/">House of Commons Information Office</a></li></ul> <p><strong>Publications</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/guides/">Guides to Parliament</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/commons/weekly-information-bulletin/">Weekly Information Bulletin</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/commons/sessional-information-digest/">Sessional Information Digest</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-commons-faqs/">FAQs</a><br/><br/></li></ul> </div>  </div> </div> </div> <div class="local-module">  <h2>Related Information</h2>  <div class="local-module-content"> <div class="itemImageWithTitle"> <a id="ctl00_ctl00_SiteSpecificPlaceholder_ctlRightHandModuleContainer_ctl01_rptLocalModuleItems_ctl00_ctlLocalModuleItem_hypLink"> <strong> </strong> </a> </div> <div class="itemText">  <div class="rte main-introduction"> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/">Contact your MP</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/members/mps/">What MPs do</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/">Lists of MPs</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/members/pay-mps/">Pay allowances for MPs</a> </li></ul> </div>  </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <p class="marker">Footer links</p> <ul> <li><a id="ctl00_ctl00_ctlGlobalFooter_ctlNavigationLinks_rptLinks_ctl01_hypLink" href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/azindex/">A-Z index</a></li> <li><a id="ctl00_ctl00_ctlGlobalFooter_ctlNavigationLinks_rptLinks_ctl02_hypLink" href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/">Glossary</a></li> <li><a id="ctl00_ctl00_ctlGlobalFooter_ctlNavigationLinks_rptLinks_ctl03_hypLink" href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/contact-us/">Contact us</a></li> <li><a id="ctl00_ctl00_ctlGlobalFooter_ctlNavigationLinks_rptLinks_ctl04_hypLink" href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/">Freedom of Information</a></li> <li><a id="ctl00_ctl00_ctlGlobalFooter_ctlNavigationLinks_rptLinks_ctl05_hypLink" href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/job-opportunities/">Jobs</a></li> <li><a id="ctl00_ctl00_ctlGlobalFooter_ctlNavigationLinks_rptLinks_ctl06_hypLink" href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/using-this-website/">Using this website</a></li> <li><a id="ctl00_ctl00_ctlGlobalFooter_ctlNavigationLinks_rptLinks_ctl07_hypLink" href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/">Copyright</a></li> <li class="last"><a id="ctl00_ctl00_ctlGlobalFooter_ctlNavigationLinks_rptLinks_ctl08_hypLink" href="/web/20120117064042/http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/privacy/">Cookies</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ Sys.Application.initialize(); //]]> </script> </form> <script type="text/javascript"> /*<![CDATA[*/ var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? 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