The 'Premier of Alberta' is the
first minister for the
Canadian province of
Alberta. They are the province's
head of government and ''de facto'' chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is
Ed Stelmach. He became premier by winning the
Progressive Conservative leadership elections on
December 3,
2006. Stelmach replaced
Ralph Klein, who retired after serving as premier for 14 years.
The premier of the province deals with specific areas relating to Alberta and Alberta's relation on the national scene. The premier acts as a representative for the
Legislative Assembly of Alberta and the
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) are in turn the representatives of the people of Alberta. The premier also acts as the MLA for a
riding, and are elected as the MLA by the constituents of that particular riding. As with most government leaders in a
parliamentary system, the Premier usually wins his riding's election quite easily. However, some premiers have not won their seat- forcing them to run in a by-election in another riding. The most recent case of this was
Don Getty, who lost his
Edmonton Whitemud seat in the
1989 election and had to run in
Drumheller-Stettler.
The premier of Alberta's responsibilities include administering provincial
laws, enacting
legislation, and regulating industry. The premier is responsible for promoting Alberta's interests via the federal government and serves as the chief representative of Alberta to the rest of Canada.
See also
★
List of Alberta premiers
★
Premier (Canada)
★
Prime Minister of Canada
External links
★
Premier of Alberta Official Site