Premier of Alberta

To be effective, accountable and in line with custom, the premier does hold a seat in the legislature, so the premier serves as the MLA for a riding, and is elected as the MLA by the constituents of that constituency. As with most government leaders in a parliamentary system, the premier usually wins his or her own election as MLA easily. However, on occasion, a premier has not been re-elected to their seat in a general election, forcing them to run in a by-election in a constituency that comes empty by the resignation of the sitting MLA or other incident. The most recent case of this was Don Getty, who lost his Edmonton-Whitemud seat in the 1989 election and then ran and was elected in a by-election in Drumheller-Stettler. In 2014 Jim Prentice was elected party leader without holding a seat in the legislative assembly, thus becoming premier, and won a Calgary-Foothills by-election in order to gain a seat in the assembly.

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.