Independent Success in Local Executive Elections: The First and the Second Rounds of English Mayoral Elections

Out of twelve mayoral elections between 2000 and 2002, six independents were elected, despite there having been few independent and minor party councillors in these local authorities. Was the. independent success in mayoral elections accidental? Or was there any factor which enhanced independents' chance of being elected as mayor? These questions have not been examined by existing studies. This research advances the concept of the two dimensions of elections to comprehend various types of elections and hypothesises that institutional conditions and the behaviour of actors allow an independent or minor party candidate to have a better chance at a local executive election than at other elections. This research adopts both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The aggregate analysis of electoral results demonstrates that independent and minor party candidates at mayoral elections have constantly received a larger share of votes than their counterparts at Parliamentary and local council elections at the expense of the major parties. The analysis of survey data at London Mayoral elections suggests that each elector's partisanship and evaluation of candidates influenced the split of Mayoral and Assembly votes. Case studies of mayoral elections in Hartlepool, Stoke-on-Trent and Newham affirm that the outcome of mayoral elections is determined by the mixture of candidates' personalities, political issues and the national political tide.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo